Unit+of+Work+Outline

__Unit of Work Overview & Summary __

**UNIT OF WORK OVERVIEW**

Lesson Aim:

 * ===Students create (draw, narrate, organise, record, edit) a multimodal text i.e. visual animation featuring still-images, narration, to depicting the life cycles of a butterfly.===

**Key Learning Areas:**

 * ===**English, Visual Arts, Science and Technology**===

**Focus Outcome:**

 * ===**Living Things - Change occurs throughout the lifetime of living things i.e. butterflies.**===

**UNIT OF WORK SUMMARY** ===This introductory lesson focuses on establishing in students an appreciation for the use, function and construction of meaning in different texts that convey information, with a focus on the non-fiction literary text //Flutter by, Butterfly// (Densey Clyne, 1994). It aims to instil an awareness of the different modes of communication and the construction of meaning for their function, whilst emphasising the unit of study’s principal element of change in the butterfly life cycle. The lesson begins with a brainstorm on the the concepts of 1) CHANGE, and 2) CHANGE IN LIVING THINGS, to stimulate prior understandings of the word as well as form new ones via discussion. Students are then shown a gradual “building-block” presentation of a book cover, encouraging text-user and text-analyst roles in viewing texts; starting from the words ‘Flutter by, Butterfly’, and then adding in a variety of different accompanying visuals. These concrete visuals work to challenge students in a concrete-operational stage appropriate manner, fostering discussion on the construction of multimodal texts according to their positioning of readers. After this, the book //Flutter by, Butterfly//, is read to the class. Students discuss the aspects of change in living things that the book entails. Students are put into pairs and given a photocopied page of the book, along with a sheet to write down notes. Working in groups of 5, fill in the worksheet, analysing the use, function and construction of meaning in their given extracts.===
 * Lesson 1 – Resource: Non-fiction Book about Butterflies **

===Students are to watch a 3 minute National Geographic documentary video called 'Growing Up Butterfly'. The class then collectively constructs a poster summarising the different stages in the life cycle of a butterfly from the information in the video. Within this lesson, students begin work as a class, then work in groups and then reassemble as a class to piece together the different stages of the life cycle of a butterfly. Using the visual resource of the National Geographic video 'Growing Up Butterfly', students are able to recognise and visualise the different stages before investigating these stages in further detail. As the students reconvene as a class, each group presents what they have learnt, by peer teaching and creating their own poster representation. From this, the class creates a visual class display which can be used in future for work samples,education resources and class decorations. Group work allows students to discuss and question the different stages of the lifecycle. This peer to peer contact breaks down the technical barrier, ensuring all students are able to understand what is occurring. Through investigation and the presentation of their findings, students are then able to incorporate technical language into their everyday knowledge. The use of technology provides a teaching and learning method that caters for kinaesthetic, visual and aural learners and the possibility for creativity and presentation skills to be fostered within the lesson caters for students who thrive on producing artistic works.===
 * Lesson 2 - Resource: Video Documentary **

===The lesson focus of these two lessons are to provide a opportunity for the students to develop their representing skills and information communication technological (ICTs) skills. However, before this, the students are given time at the start of lesson 4 to explore a multi-literacy text, a website that consists of both visual and written text. Students gain more information on the stages of the lifecycle of butterflies from the website, but they are also given time to expose themselves to texts that has both visual and written text. The website consists of features such as 'fun facts', 'activities', 'butterfly specimens' and also including 'lifecycle' where there are a few videos that the students are able to view also. The students are given the opportunity to gain more knowledge and understanding of their allocated stage of the lifecycle of butterflies through rich sources of information. Once the research is done, the four groups are given the task to present the information of their stages through different mediums. All the groups use the information and pictures retrieved from previous lessons to complete this task. However, each group is firstly divided into two. Half of the members represent their information through the making of a poster and the rest of the members use a word document with Microsoft Word. This activity may be completed in one lesson. The teacher should take a screen shot photo of the word document to be used for the multimodal text produced at the end of the unit. If students have finished their work, the students are given permission to explore the website about butterflies. Whilst the students are working on their representations, the teacher should be walking around to assist students who may need help and also walking around to assess through questioning the reasons behind their layout of the representation. This is to encourage students to use terminologies of visual grammar.===
 * Lesson 3 - Resource: Visual Image/Diagram **
 * In this lesson students are to work in groups and as a whole class to create a big visual representation (timeline) of the stages in the lifecycle of a butterfly. The lesson begins by using the above image as a stimulus to introduce visual representations and students move into their previously allocated groups to search images to represent their stage in the lifecycle. The whole class then work collaboratively to join the pictures of different stages to make a completed timeline. Students are shown examples of diagrams they discuss and examine and critique them. Teacher goes through the features (title, pictures, short texts to explain what is in the picture, arrows, vector lines.)They discuss what needs to be added, removed or changed to their timeline in order to make an appropriate and accurate visual representation. **
 * Lesson 4 & 5 - Resource: Website about Butterfly Life Cycles **

===In lesson 6, students are to use the screen shot images the teacher had saved in the previous lesson to prepare their explanation scripts. Using what students have learnt about explanations from previous lessons (lesson 2), students are to use an explanation format to write a script about their stages of the life cycle of a butterfly. This script will be used in their subsequent lessons of making a multimodal text. Before students move on to writing their scripts, the whole class works together with the teacher as a modelled activity to make the script and choose images that will be used for the introduction and conclusion. The class will be using the SmartBoard, where students will give suggestions and ideas to make an interesting introduction and conclusion (e.g. using fun facts to make the explanation more interesting). Therefore the class would be working on making the still image on the word document and also writing out the script. The teacher would emphasise aspects of the explanation, including the structure and language features (Droga & Humphrey, 2003, p. 142-143). After the whole class has successfully made the introduction and conclusion, the students will be working in their groups, to work on their stages and so group discussion and collaboration is a necessary key. Students should also discuss the way in which their script will be presented on the multimodal text - who will they be saying it, how they will be saying it (e.g. voice projection, taking it in turns etc), or if they will be using a text-to-speech option available on the computer or a simple text option with other background sounds. As the scripts are made, the teacher reminds the students that is should relate with the picture as that is the most effective way to explain a phenomena, when there are the support of a visual to written text. The teacher should be contributing to the groups script writing process by encouraging discussion, questioning students and giving students clear cut criteria as to what their script/information report must include. Students may draft, redraft and then create a final script which will be used in lesson 8 & 9 - recording and adding narrations to their final work.===
 * Lesson 6 & 7 - Writing speech explanation/script about given life cycle stages. **

===Students ‍work on recording their scripts and adding the narrations on their still pictures through a video producing program. Prior to the recordings, teacher will address and discuss with the class the appropriate mode of presentation: loud clear voice, clear pronunciation, etc. Students are given time to practice with their group prior to the recordings. The recordings should be done in a separate isolated room so that there are no outer sounds that may also be recorded. During the recording process, students give feedback on each other in a peer assessment session, using feedback guidelines provided by the teacher.===
 * Lesson 8 & 9 - Recording and writing accompanying narrations for visual images **

===As a whole class, the final product is viewed. Any further editing or changes are decided upon and made if necessary. A screenshot of their constructed visual image, and copies of their narration and script are given to each group. While the video is uploaded onto a file sharing site (such as Youtube) on the Interactive White Board, students reflect on their experiences of creating the multimodal text focusing on the text-user and text-analyst perspectives. On a large cardboard paper, they place these in the middle, with their given life-cycle stage written as a large heading. Each student writes a statement of reflection on their work in the poster. Groups come to conclusions on how well they think they achieved the outcome of informing viewers on their stage, and how they would make it better if they could do it again. If time allows, each group presents their reflections to the class. Review on the use, function and construction of meaning in multimodal texts, watching the finished video for the last time.===
 * Lesson 10 - Uploading, viewing and reflecting on finished multimodal text. **