Date: 15.02.2012
Teacher: Irina Bučinska
Observer: Larisa Sardiko
Form 7
Aims:
Thinking: raising awareness of the necessity of upgrading the model and of having a tool (an algorithm – how to) for upgrading the model; TTF – step 3.
Subject-specific: identifying the type and the mood of a text
Materials: draft ENV models; task sheets with text types
Abbreviations: T (teacher), P (pupils), POV – point of view, *vocabulary provided by the teacher, O (observer), TTF (thinking task framework), S. (sentence)
Summary: during the lesson the pupils brought some changes into their draft models, commented on them; reflected on the aim and the characteristics of a good model; performed three tasks from the task sheet (see in the Materials section) which enabled them to distinguish between the text types, to identify the mood and recollect the text types they knew before.
T’s future plans: to get Ps to use their models for setting the parameters to create their own texts
Task 1 a: T. look at your model, read and find how you can improve it (5 - 6 min)
(While Ps are working on upgrading, T. looks at the aims).
Discussion (10 min) The ps’ answers: e.g. added the parameter of the mood; combined similar parameters; organized parameter T. challenges their answers (Why? What does it give?) and makes them be more specific
Summary (7 min) : T elicits the aim of the task – to improve the model. What for?
Aim of the model: to help writing a good POV text faster;
Task 1b. T. elicits the features a good model should have and makes pupils specify their answers:
Short – T. to remember it, to use it fast
Precise – have specific information
Well - organized
Compact (much info in a little format)
T. reminds of ‘help’ and elicits two more features: user-friendly and helpful
T. Does your model correspond to this description? Does it help?
Analyse your model and put down what problems it has.
Task 2 (a, b, c) (see the link to the Materials)
Read and do the tasks – 3 min
Ps’ Responses to 2 a (add one or two words to the text): put down the receiver (4 words; was shocked; ended the dialogue; was interested – as in the original; was alerted; was irritated.
Ps’ Responses to 2 b Weekends; Summer – as in the original
T. Do you agree that the texts create a certain mood? Fill in the following:
Text 1
Type text: story, detective, fairy-tale
Mood: shocking, alerting, mysterious, tense, funny
Text 2
Type text: story
Mood: happy, nice, boring
T’s comments:
When thinking about the aim and the features of the model I wanted to make them aware that we need a tool/an algorithm (‘how to’ or steps) when creating anything: e.g. think of the aim; think of the features etc.
The next lesson: they will look at one feature of their models and see how they can improve it.
O’s comments:
The pupils use meta-cognitive language quite freely when speaking on their models; though some of them are not very clear on what they really wish to do with their models and why; the teacher challenged them leaving the answers/decisions over to them.
Comments
I didn't find the task in the materials section yet, but from reading this, do I understand that what you do, Irina, with point of view tasks, is to work on the separate features individually in order to help the students build up a model?
Did their original model for a point of view task involve only one feature, and if so, what feature was most useful to start with?
I'm beginning to realise that the kind of things I'm doing, though small, are diving in at the deep end - I want everything I understand about POV, for example, to come out in one task, and the result is a bit chaotic. This sounds much more systematic and valuable!