EDLA306 S00170593

Assessment Task 2 Rebecca Calleja

Plan for the Teaching of a Reading Comprehension Strategy

PART A: RATIONALE
For my first history lesson I decided to incorporate a digital text on my
area of study, Australian history, specifically European settlement. My
selection of the Claymation video A Brief History of Australia (2013) was
for the reason that I felt it presents information clearly to students but
also effectively fulfils the notion of multimodality within the classroom.
Multimodality refers to the combination of different semiotic modes such
as visual, written and gestural (Liu, 2010). This digital text allows students
to experience each of these systems and understand how these may be
utilised in order to assist viewers with their comprehension of the story.
While grade 4 children are likely to be familiar with making sense of the
way linguistics allow us to make sense of the text, students need to
understand how other features can contribute to creating a meaningful
text. Kress (2000) makes mention that an important part of reading
comprehension instruction is analysing systems beyond traditional
linguistics to enhance readers interpretive abilities. Therefore in creating a
lesson which allows students explore visualisations as a method to
develop comprehension they are learning how to construct meaning from
various semiotic systems. Through my instructional strategy of guided
note taking I have aimed to demonstrate how codes and conventions of
semiotic systems, specifically linguistic and visual can be used to draw
attention to particular information and aid in the audiences meaning
making (McLean, 2012). To develop this skill I decided to have students
create a timeline as graphic organisers are useful tools to help students
organise and remember information (Wing Jan, 2015) but also it
effectively incorporates my comprehension strategy focus of visualisation.
I organised my focus group as homogenous, that is students with similar
literacy needs working together (Wing Jan, 2015). These students are
within level D of the Progression of Reading Development and have
difficulty drawing information from across the whole text (Assessment
Research Centre, 2010) which is why I had them complete a cloze activity

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simpler to the whole class timeline. All students in the class were required
to create visualisations to help them recall information, infer and
comprehend text (Flint, 2014).

For my second history lesson I selected the text Stolen Girl written by
Tina Saffioti as it was a fitting extension of the previous lesson which
touched upon the impacts of European settlement on the Indigenous
population. The book is packed with powerful ideas and visuals which
maintain the readers intrigue throughout. The brief presence of text helps
maintain a level of ambiguity specifically on the final page of the novel,
which opens the doors for many deep questions to be raised. Reliance on
visuals as supporting evidence for our ideas also relates to previous lesson
on the importance of visualisation in comprehension. Introduction of the
lesson begins with a picture walk which allows students to think about
what the story may be about (Flint, 2014) thereby prompting them to ask
questions and form predictions. Delivery of the text is to be a read aloud
where the teacher will demonstrate the difference between thick and thin
questions so students may understand what it means to be effective and
critical questioners. Through asking and answering his/her own questions
aloud the teacher portrays themselves as a learner and students have a
clear example of how to be active agents in constructing meaning from
reading experiences (McLean, 2012). Although a think aloud would be a
useful instructional strategy for demonstrating questioning, I wanted
students to have the opportunity to practice developing their own thinking
and questioning during the session. As the teacher reads students will be
expected to write their own questions on sticky notes which Wring Jan
(2015) notes as a useful method of recording for questioning lessons. Flint
(2014) also mentions read alouds as a good method to develop readers
knowledge of ideas within the text which is important for students as they
seek to grasp the complexities of the effects of European settlement upon
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The whole class
thinking routine of separating students learning to differentiate between
their own thick and thin questions attempting to answer these allows

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students not only to practice asking deeper questions but also finding
supporting evidence within the text. The teacher will conduct a guided
reading session with a different group of 4 children from levels E and F of
the Progression of Reading Development (Assessment Research Centre,
2010) who can work collaboratively on their predicting and inferring skills
through use of effective questioning. Guided reading allows the teacher to
prompt students to apply the literacy skills and strategies introduced to
them during their read aloud experience. The See, think, wonder activity
also is a prompting tool for students to use questioning when analysing
texts and reinforces good readers are always thinking and wondering.
Word Count Part A: 792 words

PART B: LESSON PLAN 1

Reading Comprehension Strategy: Visualising
Vic Curriculum: Literacy Duration: 60 minutes
Grade: 4
Content Descriptor: (VCELY288)
Elaboration: Creating mental
images
Topic: History
(VCHHC070)
Literacy learning intentions: 5 min
We are learning to ...
Create visualisations to help understand events in Australias
History
Consider ways to visually represent key events

Learning behaviours
I need to ...
Take notes of key events
Organise events on a timeline
Create visuals to think critically

Success criteria for whole class

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Assessment Task 2 Rebecca Calleja
I am doing well if I
Correctly ordered all 4 events
Draw 2 pictures with descriptions to represent your understanding
of text

Success criteria for focus teaching group

I am doing well if I ...
Correctly fill in missing events
Create a visualisation which helps me understand an event
Shared Text: Appendix 1

During this lesson students will:

Develop mental images from the digital text and draw these to
demonstrate understanding about events in Australian history

HOOK: 5 minutes
Galley walk
Discuss with students what they know about people featured
Refer to Appendix 2

BEFORE: 10 minutes

Instructional Strategy: Guided Note Taking

Tell students good readers/viewers create visual images in their mind

during text encounters

Students answers question on mini whiteboards

Is this text fiction/non-fiction? Why?

What do you expect will be in the video?

What is a timeline?

DURING: 10 minutes

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Assessment Task 2 Rebecca Calleja
Teacher will demonstrate how to take brief key notes

After video teacher discusses something she visualised from the text

Ask students:

What did you visualise?

What words/ideas helped you create these pictures?

During second viewing students are instructed to make key notes

AFTER: 15 minutes
Restate success criteria & explain worksheet - Appendix 3
Sketch to Stretch
In pairs students use their key notes to create a timeline
Students consider key ideas to create 2 drawings and consider how
these help them better understand events

FOCUS GROUP: Student 50582413, Student 61100916, Student

64139216, Student 99291486
Cloze Activity
Students fill in omitted words to complete sentences about the text

Students focus on visualising one aspect of the story (shown Appendix 4)

Ask Students:

What do you picture in your mind when you think about this
happening?
What do your pictures help you understand?

Students create one visualisation with description based on text

Assessment
Ability to form and explain visualisations as they encounter text
parts

CONCLUSION: 15 mins
Recap learning intentions

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Students share their drawings with a partner and explain what
understanding their image demonstrates
Students will then explain one of their partners visualisations to the class

WORD COUNT Part B Lesson 1: 308 words

APPENDICES:
APPENDIX 1:
A Brief History of Australia Claymation (2013). Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXZ80rF-1zE

APPENDIX 2:

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APPENDIX 3:

APPENDIX 4:

PART B: LESSON PLAN 2

Lesson Focus Questioning
Vic Curriculum: Literacy Duration: 60 minutes

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Grade: 4
Content Description: (VCELY288)
Elaborations: Asking & answering
questions
Topic: History
(VCHHK076)
Literacy learning intentions: 5 minutes
We are learning to ...
Differentiate between thick and thin questions
Ask and answer thick questions to develop a deeper
understanding of the text

Learning behaviours
I need to ...
Record questions on sticky notes as teacher reads
Answer questions using supporting evidence from text
Success criteria for whole class
I am doing well if I ...
I have determined thick and thin questions
Used evidence to effectively answer thick questions

Success criteria for focus teaching group

I am doing well if I ...
Use visuals and language within the text to form deep wonderings
about the text
Shared Text: Appendix 1

During this lesson students will:

Differentiate between thick and thin questions when reading the text
Stolen Girl and use questions to promote deeper understanding
HOOK: 5 mins
Refer back to previous lesson on European settlement
Read preamble inside text on Stolen Generation

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BEFORE: 10 mins
Conduct picture walk of text
Remind students good readers are always thinking and wondering
As they observe, students will write questions about text on sticky notes

DURING: 15 minutes

Read Aloud

Discuss the front cover of book

Describe body language of girl

Who/where is she?

What does the title suggest?

Teacher will demonstrate a thick and thin question on the first 2 pages

Students continue to write questions. Teacher selects student at random

to share a question

AFTER: 15 mins

Students work in pairs to compile their questions into thick and thin. Work
together to answer questions using text

Once answered students place sticky notes on whiteboard under thick or

thin

FOCUS GROUP: Student 17037308, Student 22046281, Student

22266264, Student 27610038
Guided reading
Teacher will demonstrate questioning as she reads selected pages of text
Students complete See, Think, Wonder for 2 pages of text which are more
ambiguous (Appendix 2)
What do you see?
What does it make you think?
What does it make you wonder?

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Reinforce wondering as being the same as asking thick questions

Assessment
Ability to use both linguistic and visual aspects to form deeper
wonderings

CONCLUSION: 10 mins
Recap learning intentions
Students discuss correct placement of thick/thin questions on whiteboard
Discuss answers to questions

WORD COUNT Part B Lesson 2: 297 words

APPENDICES:

APPENDIX 1: Saffioti, T. & MacDonald, N. (2011). Stolen girl. Broome,

W.A.: Magabala Books.
Ebook version on Interactive Whiteboard

APPENDIX 2:

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References
Assessment Research Centre (2010). Progression of Reading
Development. University of Melbourne

Flint, A. (2014). Literacy in Australia. Pedagogies for Engagement.

Milton, Qld.: John Wiley and Sons Australia.

Kress, G. (2000). Multimodality in Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (eds.).

Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the Design of Social Futures. London:
Routledge.

Liu, J. (2013). Visual Images Interpretive Strategies in Multimodal

Texts. Journal Of Language Teaching And Research, 4(6).
http://dx.doi.org/10.4304/jltr.4.6.1259-1263

McLean, A. (2012). Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote

Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners - By Ron
Ritchart, Mark Church and Karin Morrison. Support For Learning, 27(2), 92-
93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9604.2012.01520.x

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2016). Foundation

to Year 10 Curriculum: History
http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/the-
humanities/history/curriculum/f-10#level=3-4

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Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2016. Foundation to Year

10 Curriculum: English
http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10#level=4

Wing Jan, L. (2015). Write ways: Modelling writing forms (4th ed.).
South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press

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