Australian Animals - Developing an Information Report
Transcription
Australian Animals - Developing an Information Report
Learning Areas Context English: Texts and contexts (Everyday texts, School) (Outcomes 2.4, 3.4), Language (Outcomes 2.7, 2.8, 3.7, 3.8), Strategies (Outcomes 2.11, 2.12, 3.11, 3.12) This topic is part of the broader orientation in the New Arrivals Program, to Australia, which aims to build socio-cultural, environmental and English language knowledge. Science Life systems (Outcome 1.5) Essential Learnings Identity Students reflect and communicate with others developing a sense of belonging to learning teams. Thinking Students use a wide range of thinking modes and develop metacognitive awareness. Communication Students develop skills to communicate in a range of models to achieve identified outcomes. Equity Multicultural perspective The diversity of knowledge and experiences with animals is valued. The understandings about Australia in this program include: ESL Scope and Scales Working within Scales 2–7 Band Primary and Middle Years Year Levels Year 4–7 New Arrivals Program Evidence - Which animals are native to Australia? • Oral and written recount. - What are the characteristics of some Australian animals? • Oral and written information report. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report • Response to reflection activities. - Which Australian animals are in danger of extinction? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ perspective Australian animals to Indigenous people is acknowledged. Timeline 8-10 weeks as an integrated program. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report Teaching and Learning Cycle Australian Animals – Developing an Information Report i Bu l g din Fie e h t ld Mo • Develop simple concept map of Australian animals. st ru fie l d C • Language based activities. ontinu in g the I de NAP nt • Research an animal and construct a report with visuals and reference list as a: - whole class - small group. • Assessment of the text using checklist. Co ns tru ctio n New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs i • Activities to reinforce structure of a report. • Reflection on the process. en ct ng • Whole class reflection: Human graph. on ui e b ld • Individual independent construction of an information report on an Australian animal to be presented as an oral presentation with peer and self assessment. ec • Deconstruct a model information report, highlight text structure and language features. • Develop a description of an Australian animal. • Excursion to Zoo or wildlife park and develop a recount. g/D • Examine purpose and structure of information reports. • Read reports and watch videos about Australian animals and extend vocabulary. ep lin • Connect to prior knowledge. • Read stories and poems about Australian animals. nd del Jo Co t n i n ru st c o ti n Australian Animals Developing an Information Report Overview of language taught in the teaching, learning and assessing program A summary of the language mostly pertaining to a description as taught in the following teaching, learning and assessing program. The metalanguage that students may need in order to discuss the above language features is bolded. Text in context Language Genre • Explore purpose, intended audience, structure and language features of an information report. • Oral and written reports. • Stories have a similar purpose across cultures. • Note taking. • Description. • Recount. • Note taking structure: -subheadings -dot points / numbers. • Recount structure: -orientation -events in sequence -reorientation. • Report structure: -introduction with classification -paragraphs dealing with specific aspects. • Language to build cohesion: -reference items - articles - pronouns. Field • Noun groups with numbers and describers. • Verbs: -action (doing) -mental (thinking) -verbal (saying) -relational (being). • Speech functions: -question (wh, yes/no) -statement (simple and compound). • Modality: -possibility. • Circumstances and clauses: -place (location). • Interpersonal meaning: -feelings, attitudes, opinions. • Everyday and technical vocabulary: -nouns -nominalisations. • Verbal elements: -pronunciation -fluency -listening quietly. • Language to expand information: -linking and binding conjunctions -conjunctions between sentences. NAP Tenor New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs • Facts and opinions. Mode • Primary tense: -timeless present -simple past. • Subject verb agreement. • Foregrounding: -human – pronoun -non human – topic words. • Coherence: -link between introduction, body, conclusion -topic sentences. • Print conventions: -handwriting -punctuation -spelling patterns. • Visual literacy: -labels to pictures -layout -diagrams, tables, graphs -reference to visual texts. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report Building the Field In Building the Field, the main objective is to connect with the prior knowledge of the students, develop cultural understandings and the everyday and technical language related to Australian animals and information reports. The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Connect to prior knowledge • Brainstorm and list the names of animals. Mode Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics With beginners: • Copy English words and write in first language/s. • Group animals according to own categories (eg with fur, with 4 legs, can run). • Using commercial and student pictures of animals, create a Venn diagram (eg animals in my country and animals in Australia). Tenor • Everyday vocabulary: -names of animals, birds, fish -categories (eg animals, birds, fish). • Put animal names in alphabetic order. • Make a chart of animals under various categories (eg location, action). Field • Reference items (eg this, it). • Location (eg in the farm, in the zoo, in the sea). • Common action verbs (eg fly, crawl, hop). • Use charts to compose sentences about animals. • Orally identify pictures of animals in English and own language. Use bilingual dictionaries if appropriate for students. Supplementary activities: • Simple statements. • Simple present tense. • Punctuation. • Visual literacy: -labels for pictures. • Make a booklet illustrated by students, using model English sentence structures (eg This is a ... It can … ). • Unjumble simple sentences about animals. Extension activities: • Introduce technical vocabulary (eg mammal, marsupial, reptile). • Group pictures of animals using these categories. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report Building the Field continued... The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Australian Animals • Alphabet chart: -label pictures of Australian animals -build up an alphabetic chart of Australian animals. Genre Field Tenor With beginners: • Nouns (eg names of animals, birds, fish). • Sort word/picture cards in alphabetic order. • Verbal elements: -pronunciation. • Games: -bingo (eg match pictures/words of Australian animals to names) -toss the ball (eg student A tosses soft ball to student B who says name of an Australian animal). NAP • Copy names of animals on an alphabet proforma. • Visual elements: -link picture to oral/written words. Students can support each other to identify animals during bingo game. Extension activities: • Review procedural language. • Students follow instructions to make bingo cards together. • Human graph: -stand in a line to show how much you think you know about Australian animals (from a lot to a little) -tell the person next to you one thing you already know about Australian animals. • Concept map: -on sticky notes, write 2 things you know and one question about what you want to find out -stick notes on to large sheet, grouping them in logical ways -provide headings for each group at the end of the process (eg appearance) -identify which of the questions are still unanswered. Mode Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics • Variation for bingo: Say Australian animals with a describer (eg fluffy koala, smooth platypus). • Technical vocabulary (eg classification, appearance, behaviour, diet, prey, reproduction, habitat. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs • Speech functions: -questions–wh (eg Where do … live? What do … eat? What kind of babies do … have?). Use BSSOs to help scribe for students. Provide technical terms for the groupings after commonsense grouping. This allows students prior learning to be acknowledged. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Build cultural knowledge • Read a range of poems and stories from different cultures. • Read stories and poems about Australian animals (eg Possum Magic, Wombat Stew, Giant Devil Dingo) and Aboriginal legends involving animals (eg How the Parrot Got Its Colours). Genre Field Tenor Mode Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Extension activities: • Stories have a similar purpose across cultures. • Culturally specific terms (eg Aboriginal legend, Dreaming stories). • Notice importance of Australian animals in Aboriginal stories and culture. • Awareness of different Aboriginal groups. • Learn songs and rhymes about Australian animals (eg Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree). • Other cultural knowledge (eg gumtrees). • Punctuation: -capitals -full stops -exclamations -speech marks. • Spelling patterns. • Write sentences or shape poems about Australian animals using action verbs (eg emus running, green frogs croaking). • Variation on Wombat Stew: -write a different Wombat Stew recipe -cook stew -write up the cooking activity as a procedure. • Research importance of Australian animals in Aboriginal culture. Story vs factual tests • Review purpose of stories and poems. • Review features of story books. • Technical vocabulary (eg author, illustrator, illustration, cover, title page, page, index, contents). • Discuss the purpose of different types of factual books/texts. • Discuss structural features of how factual books are organised. • Predict audience, genre and language for range of titles (eg Kangaroos, My Pet Kangaroo Hoppy). NAP • Purpose of different genres. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Extension activities: • Awareness of target audience. • Visual literacy: -layout of title page to suit genre and audience. • Match title cards with genre name cards. • Photocopy covers of books and make posters with short book reviews explaining the purpose, type and content of book. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report Continued... The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Build scientific knowledge • Read Big books—scientific texts: -What is a mammal? -What is a marsupial? -What is a reptile? -What is a bird? • Use graphic organiser to classify Australian animals (eg mammals, marsupials, reptiles, birds), reviewing features of each group. • Note taking layout (eg sub headings, dot points or numbers). • Everyday vocabulary (eg size, skin covering, movement, diet). • Note taking: -use concept map to identify information needed about Australian animals. -watch video of Australian animals -write two or more new facts on sticky notes and add to concept map -use headings to support note taking (eg ‘mediated journal’—Little Book with headings on each page). -build a word bank chart from notes Animal Size Skin covering Colour Tenor Mode Supplementary activities: • Technical vocabulary (eg mammal, marsupial, reptile, omnivorous, carnivorous, herbivorous, vegetarian). • Identify technical/scientific vocabulary. • Ask questions about texts (eg Do … lay eggs? Can a … swim? Does a … swim or fly? Where does a … live?). Field Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics • Questions and statements. • Visual literacy (eg how illustrations support meaning in text). • Print conventions. • Spelling patterns. • Primary tense: -present (eg It lives, They swim). • Match question card with answer card. • Use pictures to group and paste under headings. • Use a taxonomic structure to correctly label animals. Extension activities: • ‘My favourite animal’ oral statements (eg My favourite Australian animal is … because I like/because it’s ….). • Write the sentences and share with a partner. • Human graph: -Would you like to be a …or a …? (eg a kangaroo or a kookaburra). -decide, move, justify your decision to the person next to you. Include labelled pictures or labelled diagrams in note-taking activity. Movement • Use information from matrix chart to construct compound sentences. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Field Tenor Mode Description Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Extension activities: • Language activities: -build up noun groups by labelling drawings or pictures of Australian animals with adjectives (describers), numbers, classifiers. -complete cloze activity blocking out describers, verbs or reference items -highlight noun groups in a descriptive text. • Description text: -read model of a short description (eg What am I?) -work in small groups to compose similar brief descriptions to read to class -take turns guessing the animal from the description -draw an animal from a description. • Reference items (eg they, it, that, them). • Structure of ‘What am I?’ description. • Types of verbs: -relational (eg have, are) -action (eg fly). • Statements using simple and compound sentences. • Noun groups with numbers and describers (eg long sharp claws, soft grey speckled fur, three toes). • Verbal elements: -pronunciation -fluency. • Present tense. • Subject verb agreement. • Print conventions: -punctuation -spelling. • Compile a table of comparatives (eg long, longer, longest, fluffy, fluffier, fluffiest). • Write sentences using comparatives. Supplementary activity: • Write and/or illustrate descriptions of silly/imagined characters. • Visual literacy: -label pictures. • Foregrounding: -pronoun (eg I). • Decide if statements are true or false. True or false. What am I? NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report Continued... The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Preparation for excursion to Zoo or Wildlife Park • Discuss and predict what students will experience. • Use Mind Journey strategy to prepare students for the excursion by visualising expected behaviour, and anticipated experiences. Genre Field Mode Supplementary activity: • Verbs: -mental (eg think). • Topic words. • Prepare a mediated journal with headings on each page (eg Food). • Write questions to be answered including 3-2-1- reflection strategy: 3 statements 2 questions 1 interesting. NAP Tenor Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs • Modality: -possibility (eg maybe we will, we might). • Build a Zoo wall or enclosure pen out of paper bricks each brick has a word on it. One row could be verbs another describers or structural headings, or nouns. • Questions: -Yes/No (eg Will we ..? Can we …?) -Wh questions (eg Where will..? When will …? How do …?). Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 10 The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre During excursion • Record the trip with digital camera or video. • Complete mediated journal. • Informal talking, naming, asking and answering questions. After the excursion • Use photos to compile a class record or watch video of excursion. Field Tenor • Verbs: -action (eg saw, touched) -saying (eg said, told) -mental (eg liked) -relational (eg had, was). • Ask and respond to wh and yes/no questions. • Technical vocabulary (eg night–nocturnal, food–diet, gum tree–eucalyptus tree, poisonous– venomous, squeezes– constricts, boy–male, girlfemale). • Feelings attitudes and opinions: -describers (eg nice, soft) -verbs (eg like, enjoyed). Mode The mind journey strategy can be used again now as a way of recalling the experience of the excursion, tapping into all the sensory input and peripheral learning that took place. Various recollections of sights sounds, smells and tactile stimuli will prompt memory to recall the learning that took place both consciously and unconsciously. • Vocabulary activities: -add to word lists or zoo wall -match every day language with technical terms. • Review understanding: -each student writes a question using information learnt on the excursion, for a class quiz -sort information about animals -add information to a class concept map. • Reflect on excursion using a PMI (plus, minus, interesting) chart in groups then share responses. • Review facts and opinions. • Review structure and language of a recount. • Prepare and present oral and written recount. NAP • Recount structure: -orientation -events in sequence -reorientation. • Linking and binding conjunctions. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics • Verbal elements: -pronunciation -fluency. • Primary tense: -past (eg arrived, saw, touched). Extension activities: • Coherence: -link between introduction, body, reorientation. • Discuss how you would feel if you were a kangaroo in the zoo, bush, park. • Match answers to questions about excursion. • Invent a new breed of Australian animal describe and draw it. • Propose what would happen if…. -emus could fly -there were too many kangaroos. • Design and make a jigsaw of an Australian animal. • Discuss conservation issues. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 11 Vocabulary lists built from excursion to Cleland Widlife Park Nouns fur wings pouch feathers parrots bird seeds flowers bottlebrush nectar mammal reptile prey lizard bones possum muscles light air snake poison camouflage Describers marsupial nocturnal muscular carnivorous omnivorous herbivore eucalyptus poisonous tired NAP Verbs action held showed closed ran crept walked went listened waited ate drank washed looked read opened closed heard saw sleep slept drew wrote pushed pulled sat shed changed rode constrict Verbs saying talked spoke said whispered told called shouted sang Verbs relational have had was were are is am New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Verbs mental enjoyed loved liked thought hoped wanted knew guessed Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 12 Information Reports Differentiated Texts Emus Koalas Emus are Australian birds. Koalas are Australian animals. They have feathers and lay eggs. Koalas are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk. They are the largest bird in Australia but they cannot fly. Emus have two, long, strong legs and large feet with thick toes. They have a large, oval shaped body. They have a small head and a long, thin neck. Their beak is short and pointy. Their feathers are black, brown and white. Adults can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh 60 kilograms or more. Emus are only found in Australia and can live in most areas. Emus can run very fast. As much as 50 kilometres an hour. Emus eat berries, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, plants and even insects like grasshoppers. The hen lays 6–12 large dark green eggs in a nest. The male sits on the eggs to keep them warm. They usually hatch after 8–10 weeks. The young chicks have brown feathers with white stripes which make it hard for them to be seen in the grass. Echidnas Echidnas are mammals. They are also monotremes because they lay eggs. They are called spiny ant eaters. Koalas look like bears but they are marsupials. That means they are mammals that have a pouch. Echidnas have sharp spines on their back and tail. They are brown and have a long nose on their small head. They have four short legs and strong claws. Koalas have fluffy brown and grey fur. They have large, black, flat noses and small eyes. They have short legs and arms with strong claws on their hands and feet which are used for climbing. Adult echidnas can grow between 35-55 centimetres long and weigh up to 5 kilograms. Tasmanian echidnas are black. Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and they only eat these kinds of leaves. They only live in Australia. They spend most of their time at the top of gum trees. Koalas only have one baby at a time. It is born without fur and is very tiny so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back. Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia. Echidnas live in bush land. They hide under bushes, between rocks or in hollow logs. Sometimes they make burrows to hide in. They only live in Australia. Echidnas eat ant and termites. They dig into the ants’ nest with their sharp claws and lick up the ants with their long sticky tongues. Female echidnas lay only one egg at a time. When the tiny baby hatches it is as big as a jelly bean. A tiny baby echidna is called a puggle. It stays in its mothers pouch until its spines grow. Then it lives in the burrow The male protects the young chicks from enemies such as dingoes and eagles. Emus have been farmed since about 1970 for their meat, feathers and also for oil which is used for making cosmetics. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 13 Continued... Information Reports Differentiated Texts Emus Emus are birds because they have feathers and lay eggs. They are the largest bird in Australia but they cannot fly. Emus have two, long, strong legs and large feet with thick toes. They have a large, oval shaped body, a long, thin neck, a small head and a short, pointy beak. Their feathers are black, brown and white. The adults can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh 60 kilograms or more. Emus are only found in Australia and live mainly in bushland and grassy areas. However they are very hardy birds and can live in most places. They can run very fast with their powerful legs even up to 50 kilometres an hour. They often travel a long way each day looking for food. Emus eat berries, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, plants and even insects like grasshoppers. The male emu builds a nest of small sticks and leaves then the hen lays between 6–12 large dark green eggs. Usually female birds look after the eggs but emus are different. The male sits on the eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. This usually takes about 8–10 weeks. The young chicks have brown feathers with white stripes which make it hard for them to be seen in the grass. NAP Koalas Koalas are Australian animals. They are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk. Koalas are also marsupials because they are mammals that have a pouch. Koalas have soft brown and grey fur on their round bodies and white fur on their chest. It is thick and warm. They have fluffy ears, large, black, flat noses and small eyes. Their mouth is also small. Echidnas Lizards Echidnas are mammals. They are also monotremes because they lay eggs. They are called spiny ant eaters. Echidnas have sharp spines on their back and tail. They are brown and have a long nose on their small head. They have four short legs and strong claws. Adult echidnas can grow between 3555 centimetres long and weigh up to 5 kilograms. Tasmanian echidnas are black. Large sharp claws on their feet and hands are used for climbing trees. They also have sharp teeth for chewing leaves. Echidnas live in bush land. They hide under bushes, between rocks or in hollow logs. Koalas live in eucalyptus trees in the bush. They only live in Australia. Koalas are nocturnal animals so they sleep in the high branches most of the day and are awake at night-time eating and moving around. Sometimes they make burrows to hide in. They only live in Australia. Koalas only eat gum leaves and they usually don’t need to drink water because they get enough moisture from the tender young leaves. Female koalas only have one baby at a time. The tiny baby crawls up into the mother’s pouch. It is born without fur so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back. Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Echidnas eat ants and termites. They dig into the ants’ nest with their sharp claws and lick up the ants with their long sticky tongues. Female echidnas lay only one egg at a time. When the tiny baby hatches it is as big as a jelly bean. A tiny baby echidna is called a puggle. It stays in its mothers pouch until its spines grow. Then it lives in the burrow. Lizards are animals and they belong to the reptile family. There are many different types of lizards. Goanna, frill necked, gecko, blue tongue and thorny devil are all types of Australian lizards. Some lizards such as skinks are tiny but many are large. Goannas can grow up to two metres long. Lizards usually have long tails. Most lizards have four legs so they can move very quickly. They can run and climb. There are some lizards called legless lizards that don’t have any legs. They slide and move like snakes. Lizards have scaly skin which is smooth. They also change their skin when they grow. Lizards have cold blood so they lie in the sun to keep warm. If it is too hot or too cold they hide under rocks or leaves for protection. Lizards have two small holes on their heads that are used for hearing. Some lizards have hard tongues which are used like teeth, but others have long thin ones. Lizards live in rainforests, deserts and they can be found under rocks and in trees. Some lizards can change their colour because they need to hide. This is called camouflage. Lizards use camouflage as protection from their enemies. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 14 Continued... Information Reports Differentiated Texts Emus Koalas Echidnas Lizards This kind of camouflage helps protect them from predators. The male also protects the young chicks from enemies such as dingoes and eagles. The young emus stay with their father for about a year before they leave to go and find a mate. Lizards eat insects, plants and tiny animals like snails, slugs and mice. Some lizards eat birds’ eggs. Gekos hunt insects at night and they are the only lizards that make a noise. Blue Tongue lizards eat plants and small animals during the day. Emus have been farmed since about 1970 for their meat and also for oil which is used for making cosmetics. Lizards lay eggs but when the eggs are hatched they parents don’t look after the babies. The young lizards must find their own food. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 15 Modelling/Text Deconstruction In Modelling/Deconstruction, the main objective is to develop students’ understandings of the purpose, structure and language features of the information report genre. The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Purpose and audience • Use extracts from recounts and reports to identify genre, discuss purpose and audience. • Read a range of reports and reflect on purpose, audience. Deconstruct reports • Identify and discuss: -structure of reports -use of bold print, headings -type of words that start the sentences -linking and binding conjunctions -types of verbs used -whether facts or opinions included -tense -print conventions -some spelling patterns -use of diagrams, labels, tables, graphs. Genre Field • Purpose of a report. • Structure: -introduction with classification -paragraphs dealing with specific aspects. Mode • Intended audience. • Verbs: -action (eg sleeps, eats) -relational (eg has, is). • Conjunctions (eg and, or, so, but, when, because, after). • Cloze activities. NAP Tenor Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs • Factual sentences. • Primary tense: -present (eg lives, eats). • Foregrounding: -topic words (eg snakes). • Punctuation (eg capitals, full stops, commas). Students have individual copies of the same text to highlight identified features. • Visual literacy (eg diagrams, labels, tables, graphs). Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 16 Lizards Complete cloze activity Lizards are ............................ . Lizards are reptiles. There are ....................... different kinds of lizards. Lizards have ....................... blood. They have ........................... skin. Lizards have ............. holes. Most lizards have ................. legs. Lizards .................. hard tongues. Lizards have ..................... tails. Lizards .................... in the bush. Lizards live under .................. and in trees. Lizards ............. insects, ................ and tiny animals. .......................... can climb. Lizards change their .......................... when they grow. Some lizards can change ................... to hide. Lizards can crawl ................... run. They move very quickly. Lizards .............. eggs. Can you write these words where they belong. can lay colour eat rocks and skin Lizards scaly many animals lots cold plants live ear four have long NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 17 Cut into sections. Sort and paste in correct sequence or match sections to headings of the report. Appearance Title Diet Koalas Koalas are Australian animals. Koalas are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk. General Classification Koalas look like bears but they are marsupials. That means they are mammals that have a pouch. Koalas have fluffy brown and grey fur. They have large, black, flat noses and small eyes. They have short legs and arms with strong claws on their hands and feet which are used for climbing. Behaviour Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and they only eat these kind of leaves. Reproduction They only live in Australia. They spend most of their time at the top of gum trees. Koalas only have one baby at a time. It is born without fur and is very tiny so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. Habitat When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back. Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Special features Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 18 Sort information Emus have two, long, strong legs and large feet with thick toes. They have a large, oval shaped body, a long, thin neck, a small head and a short, pointy beak. Their feathers are black, brown and white. The adults can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh 60 kilograms or more. Koalas have soft brown and grey fur on their round bodies and white fur on their chest. It is thick and warm. They have fluffy ears, large, black, flat noses and small eyes. Their mouth is also small. Emus Classification: Appearance: Food: Female koalas only have one baby at a time. Emus eat berries, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, plants and even insects like grasshoppers. Location: Emus are birds because they have feathers and lay eggs. They are the largest bird in Australia but they cannot fly. Reproduction: Koalas only eat gum leaves and they usually don’t need to drink water because they get enough moisture from the tender young leaves. The male sits on the eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. This usually takes about 8–10 weeks. The young chicks have brown feathers with white stripes which make it hard for them to be seen in the grass. The tiny baby crawls up into the mother’s pouch. It is born without fur so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. Care for young: Other intersting facts: Large sharp claws on their feet and hands are used for climbing trees. They also have sharp teeth for chewing leaves. They can run very fast with their powerful legs even up to 50 kilometres an hour. They often travel a long way each day looking for food. Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia. This kind of camouflage helps protect them from predators. The male also protects the young chicks from enemies such as dingoes and eagles. The young emus stay with their father for about a year before they leave to go and find a mate. Koalas are also marsupials because they are mammals that have a pouch. Emus have been farmed since about 1970 for their meat and also for oil which is used for making cosmetics. Koalas are Australian animals. When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back. They are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk. Koalas Classification: Appearance: Food: Location: Reproduction: Emus are only found in Australia and live mainly in bushland and grassy areas. However they are very hardy birds and can live in most places. Care for young: Koalas live in eucalyptus trees in the bush. They only live in Australia. Koalas are nocturnal animals so they sleep in the high branches most of the day and are awake at night-time eating and moving around. Other intersting facts: The male emu builds a nest of small sticks and leaves then the hen lays between 6–12 large dark green eggs. Usually female birds look after the eggs but emus are different. NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 19 The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Follow up activities • Make a chart of structural and language features to display in class. • Match chunks of information to structural headings. • Cut two reports into sentences strips. Sort and match sentences under headings to form two separate information reports about two animals. • Discuss sections of the report and identify: -order of information -conjunctions between sentences -use of reference items. Genre • Cohesion: -reference items (eg it, they, themselves) -conjunctions between sentences (eg However, As a result). Field • Noun groups: -number (eg all koalas, some koalas, most koalas). • Verbs: -action (eg eats) -relational (eg has). • Create a glossary by matching meanings to technical words. • Write simple sentences using action and relational verbs and starting with topic words. • Join beginning and end of sentences emphasising recognition of verb types. Tenor Mode • Spelling: -words with same spelling pattern -words with same sound pattern. Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Use both common terms as well as technical language for headings (eg appearance—looks like, behaviour— what it does, habitat—place it lives, diet—prey food, reproduction—having babies). Supplementary activities: • Use an oral activity to organise sentences into structure: -predetermine locations in class for each section of report -each student reads aloud information on a sentence strip -as a class decide where the student should move to -each group decides order of sentences -paste strips on large structural chart -as a class, check order. • Reflect on process of sorting oral or written sentences using “Sticky“ questions: -What clues did you use? -Where did you get stuck? -How did you get unstuck? Add to glossary regularly. Matching facts to proforma NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 20 Lizards – Match beginings and ends of sentences • Lizards are animals. • Lizards have scaly skin. • Lizards are reptiles. • Lizards live in the bush. • Lizards have hard tongues. • Lizards can climb. • Most lizards have • Lizards have • Lizards lay NAP four legs. ear holes. eggs. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 21 Lizards – Match beginings and ends of sentences continued... • Lizards have cold blood. • Lizards have long tails. • They can move • Lizards can crawl and run. • Lizards change • Lizards live • Some lizards • There are • Lizards eat NAP very quickly. their skin when they grow. under rocks and trees. change colour and hide. lots of different kinds of lizards. insects, plants and tiny animals. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 22 The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre • Teach and practise process of nominalisation in text. Identify use in texts. Field • Nominalisation (eg move— movement, reproduce— reproduction, describe— description, classify— classification). • Introduce modal words and identify in texts. • Check subject-verb agreement by matching beginning and end of sentence (eg It …lives in, They … live in). • Complete cloze exercises where missing word is either action or relational verb including both attribute and classification/ definition (eg Koalas are mammals. Koalas have thick fur). Tenor Mode • Modality: -possibility (eg Koalas can …. Koalas might … Koalas will...). • Subject verb agreement (eg It lives. They live). Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Actions and rhyme to remember structural features: -Title: tap head. Say tap tap title -Classification: clap. Say clap clap classification -Description: do a little dance -Appearance: make a smiley face. Say app app appy appearance -Behaviour: bend. Say bend bend behaviour -Habitat: hop hop. Say hop hop habitat -Diet: drinking action. Say d d diet -Reproduction: roll hands. Say roll roll reproduction -Interesting facts: point finger in. Say interesting facts. Fold arms when saying facts. • Learn action rhyme mnemonic to remember the structural features. • Create own rap/mnemonic to remember the structural features of an information report and Mnemonic rhyme NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 23 Lizards Lizards are animals and they belong to the reptile family. Lizards live in rainforests, deserts and they can be found under rocks and in trees. conjunction There are many different types of lizards. Goanna, frill necked, gecko, blue tongue and thorny devil are all types of Australian lizards. conjunction Some lizards such as skinks, are tiny but many are large. Goannas can grow up to two metres long. Lizards usually have long tails. conjunction reference modality Most lizards have four legs so they can move very quickly. They can run and climb. There are some lizards called legless lizards that don’t have any legs. They slide and move like snakes. Lizards have scaly skin which is smooth. They also change their skin when they grow. reference conjunction manner-simile conjunction Lizards have cold blood so they lie in the sun to keep warm. If it is too hot or too cold they hide under rocks or leaves for protection. nominalisation Lizards have two small holes on their heads, that are used for hearing. Some lizards have hard tongues which are used like teeth, but others have long thin ones. reference NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs conjunction reference Some lizards can change their colour because they need to hide. This is called camouflage. Lizards use camouflage as protection from their enemies. Lizards eat insects, plants and tiny animals like snails, slugs and mice. Some lizards eat birds’ eggs. Geckos hunt insects at night and they are the only lizards that make a noise. Blue Tongue lizards eat plants and small animals during the day. modality modality Lizards lay eggs but when the eggs are hatched. The parents don’t look after the babies. The young lizards must find their own food. Conjunctions but because and so also if Reference words they their ones this Modality words Similies must like very snakes usually Nominalisations protection Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 24 The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Field • Make a Little Book of the organisational and language features used to write an information report about living things. Tenor Mode • Visual elements: -using concept map. • Speech functions: -questions -statements. • Fill in a concept map using the information in a report. Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Some students could make the Little Book bilingual. Some students may need the support of BSSOs. Practise note making while completing concept map. Reflection • Conduct a 3-2-1-activity about the content of the model report, and another one about the organisational and language features of a report. e c n Concept map ha bi ta a r a e p p t a Name Name............... n io at fic New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs si NAP as be cl v a h reproduction r u io diet Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 25 Joint Construction In Joint Construction, the teacher and students construct a written argument together. Through this process, the teacher scaffolds the students’ choices and at the same time moves them towards independent construction. The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Joint construction—whole class • Negotiate which Australian animal to write about. Field Tenor • Audience. • Discuss how the report will be presented to another class (eg a booklet/Big Book/ poster). Mode Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics • Design features (eg colour, layout, headings, font, pictures, drawings). • Discuss links between presentation and audience. • Research: -use concept map structure to identify what we know and what we need to find out about -use resources provided to write notes for missing information -order information. • Writing: -write notes as sentences on strips of paper in single sentences -place these sentence strips on to large sheet of paper which has the structural headings as a scaffold -read and then reflect on the placement. NAP Supplementary activities: • Use questions as an organisational aid in planning what information needs to be collected for the report. • Use a Q Matrix or Q Cube to provide a range of question starters. Provide a selection of texts at suitable reading level, to find information. Include visual texts. • Structural headings. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 26 The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities -make adjustments (eg build up noun groups, rearrange sentence placement to improve clarity and complexity of report, improve use of reference items). • Add visual texts: -label a commercial or drawn picture of the animal -review features of a life cycle, draw a life cycle of the animal -review how to use and refer to visual text. Genre • Reference items (eg they, their, ones) Field • Noun groups. Tenor Mode • Present tense. • Subject-verb agreement. • Visual literacy: -pictures with labels -life cycle. Checklist for my written information report • Add references: -teach how to record references used -write a reference list. Does my report have a … Evaluation • Use a checklist of features of a report in the Little Book to evaluate the success of the report. Description of: Title Classification sentence Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics • Punctuation for bibliography. • Reference to visual texts (eg the diagram shows). Labels can also be written in first language. Completed report can be copied by each student. Individual variation is in colours, font size, placement of visual text. Labelling appearance (what it looks like) size shape colour body parts behaviour (what it can do) habitat (where it lives) diet (what it eats) reproduction (does it make babies or lay eggs) special features Labelled diagram Life cycle Reference list NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 27 Continued... The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Field Tenor Joint construction—small group • An animal is chosen by each group. Mode Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Students follow similar procedure to whole class joint construction for research. • Each group identifies what they know and what they need to find out. Alternative strategy: •Each group works on same topic. •Notes could be on cards. •Each group is responsible for extending notes into complete text. • Each group member selects a section of the report and researches and records that information. • Groups check their report against a checklist, edit and conference with teacher. • Use Mrs Potter’s questions to evaluate how they worked as a team: -What was the purpose of the task? -What worked well? -What would you do differently? -What do you need help with? • Groups prepare for oral reports to rest of class: -reminder of audience and presentation skills -develop/review oral report criteria. • Feedback: -complete feedback sheets for self and others -provide feedback to others. NAP • Structure: -greeting -report -closing. New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs • Verbal elements: -pronunciation. -volume -eye contact -listening quietly. Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 28 Independent Construction In Independent Construction, students independently construct an argument as the summative task for this topic for this teaching, learning and assessing program. The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Research, construct, present • Use processes introduced in joint construction to research and construct an information report about an Australian animal. Include labelled diagrams, life cycles, references. • Students self edit then conference first draft with peer and teacher. • Redraft and submit final draft. • Practice oral presentation of reports in groups of three. Genre Tenor Mode Feedback checklist for oral information report presentation Name of presenter ...................................................................... Did she/he... Yes No Sometimes Students are applying knowledge, skills and language choices developed throughout the teaching and learning cycle to produce the summative assessment task. Say greeting Say name Say title of report Look at audience Speak loudly enough • Using a checklist the group gives feedback on the presentation to the presenter. Speak clearly • Each student gives final presentation to a small group of students in another class. Did the report • Peers monitor this presentation using a checklist. Field Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics Not speak too fast Have a picture of the animal Have a life cycle Give enough information Interest you Write a comment NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 29 NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 30 Continued... The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas Activities Genre Reflection • Human Graph: stand on a line to show how much you think you know about Australian animals now. Field Tenor Mode Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italics • Compare first human graph on Australian animals and these final graphs. • Students share the most interesting thing they learnt and what was the most fun. • Repeat Human Graph to show how much you know about writing information reports. Australian Animals Reference Books Knowles, S (1988) Edward the Emu, Harper Collins Vaughan, M. K.(1984) Wombat Stew, Ashton Scholastic Fox, Mem (1988) Koala Lou, Puffin J. Brian & C. Johns (2001) Silly Galah, Ashton Scholastic Cawthorne. W.A. (1988) Who Killed Cockatoo, M Hamilton Books Clement, R (2002) Olga the Brolga, Harper & Collins Chichester, E (1998) I love you Blue Kangaroo, Clark Harper & Collins Fox, Mem (1983) Possum Magic, Ashton Scholastic Fox, Mem (1995) Wombat Divine, Omnibus NAP New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs Australian Animals Developing an Information Report 31