Curriculum Expectations

Learning Goals
Drama

 1.1 Creating and Presenting: engage actively in drama exploration and role play with a focus on exploring drama structures, key ideas and pivotal moments in their own stories and stories from diverse communities, times and places
Drama
  • I can use role play to help me understand how and why characters feel the way they do.
  • I understand that giving a character a specific time, place and relationship to others helps make the drama believable.
Dance

A1.1 Creating and Presenting: translate into dance a variety of movement sequences observed in nature

A1.2 Creating and Presenting: use dance as a language to explore and communicate ideas derived from a variety of literature sources.
 Dance
  • I can use movement  to communicate ideas about how people and animals move in water or I can use movement to communicate a short story (before/during/after) about the painting "Bigger Splash."
  • I can use the elements of dance to help me communicate my ideas.
Language

1.7 Oral Communication: analyse oral texts and explain how specific elements in them contribute to meaning`

1.8  Oral Communication: identify the point of view presented in oral text and ask questions about possible bias

1.5 Reading: make inferences about texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts as evidence
Language
  • I can look at a newspaper article and see how certain features like pictures, bolded words and choice of words help me to understand the meaning.
  • I understand that the author of the the newspaper article has certain opinions. I see that the author is biased because of certain words and pictures that are used.
  • I can make inferences about the newspaper article from what is directly said and what is hinted at by the pictures and use of certain words.

Materials

BLM #15: Diary Entry/ Hot Seating Activity
BLM #16: Radio Interview/Interviewing Activity   
BLM #17: Newspaper Article / BLM #17B Critical Thinking and Writing
BLM #18: Diary Entry/Tableau Activity
BLM #19: Movement Phrase Creation
BLM #20: Writing RAFT Extension Activity

 

Approximately 10 minutes

Minds On

Notes/Assessment

Whole Group > Warm-up Activity

Play the game, Atom, where students move through the empty space until you say the words:" Atom" and a number, e.g., "Atom 4".  Students then group themselves in a group that matches the number you have called out. Change the groupings, and encourage students to invite in and hide classmates who are left out, so that everyone is included.

 This activity will support students in creating different groupings and negotiating roles.
Approximately 120 minutes

Action!

Notes/Assessment

 

Whole Group > Introducing Activity Centres

The following lesson can be set up as activity centres or each activity could be done as a whole class lesson. Each activity centre scaffolds previous lessons, so the activities can be done independently, in small groups. It is recommended that each activity is explained thoroughly to the whole class before rotations begin and that the activity centre norms are posted and reviewed (see teacher notes for ideas). This lesson is a differentiated instruction (DI) experience where students are given the choice about which activities they would like to complete. Decide how many of the following centres students must visit. (We recommend that all students visit Centre Three, and then students have a choice about two other centres to visit).  Each centre has a maximum number of students posted at the centre as well as a detailed instruction sheet (see BLM #15 - 19: Activity Centre Instructions).

Centre One:    BLM #15: Diary Entry/ Hot Seating Activity 

Centre Two:    BLM #16: Radio Interview/Interviewing Activity 

Centre Three: BLM #17: Newspaper Article /BLM #17B Critical Thinking and Writing

Centre Four:   BLM #18: Diary Entry/Tableau Activity 

Centre Five:   BLM #19: Movement Phrase Creation

Small Group > Activity Centres

Give approximately 20 - 30 minutes for each rotation. Check in with the students at each centre to answer their questions, to help them maintain focus, and to help them keep track of the time.
Assessment as Learning 
(AaL) 
You can use BLM #8: Tableau Self-Assessment Checklist and  BLM #12: Dance Self-Assessment Checklist again.
 
Differentiated Instruction (DI)
The Activity Centre structure differentiates the learning experience according to student interest.

Review and post  BLM #15-19: Activity Centre Instructions

 

Post the following Activity Centre Norms:

  • only the maximum number of students posted at the centre can work there;
  • if the activity centre already has the maximum number of students, find another centre;
  • follow activity centre instructions in the correct order;
  • if you have a problem, first try and work it out with the other members of your group before you go to the teacher;
  • keep track of the time.  You will have 20 minutes to complete each task.

Note for Centre Two:

Teacher may want to refer to a Q-Chart with the class and discuss higher level thinking types of questions. 
Approximately 20 minutes

Consolidation

Notes/Assessment

Whole Group > Introducing the RAFT Structure

Introduce what a RAFT is and discuss each heading (role, audience, format and topic). Explain that students choose form each column, according their interest.

Individual > Writing in Role using RAFT

Distribute copies and review role, audience, format, topic choices in BLM #20: Writing RAFT Extension Activity Activity. Invite students to choose from each column to structure their own writing choices. Collect student writing and select some samples that clearly convey different points of view. Invite these authors to share their writing at the beginning of the next class.
Differentiated Instruction (DI) 

Use BLM #20: Writing RAFT Extension Activity to provide choice to students and to deepen understandings of multiple perspectives.