Alana Hogg

multidimensional unit

Exploring "who am I"

Grade level: 6-8

Language level: English, intermediate

Field of experience: Me

Topics to be developed: self-esteem

Experiential goal: Students will be able to make a commercial ‘selling’ themselves, by describing what they look like, their personality, their hobbies, their family, and why they are so great.

 

Steps to follow to achieve the experiential goal:

1- With a partner, students will trace each other’s body on big white paper. Draw on and label

clothes and physical features.

2- Students will explore different words that describe personalities and feelings with an activity

called "No more Mr. Nice Guy".

3- Students will design their family tree in class and discuss their background in groups.

4- Hobby day, each student will show the class their favourite hobby and tell the class about it.

5- Students will design a ‘Coat of Arms’ or flag representing who they are. They can use words,

drawings, magazines; anything symbolic of who they are.

6- Students will prepare an interview for a classmate, interview them, and tell another classmate

about that person.

7- Students will have this class to collect all of their work on the ‘me’ theme, review it, and

prepare a commercial ‘selling’ themselves. Start with an outline, share it, review it, write it.

8- Students will revisit their commercial and have classmates to proofread it. Students will watch

a video on self-esteem while their classmates are being videotaped.

9- Students will watch their advertisements during this class. While watching the ads, they will

fill out peer and self evaluations.

 

Objectives

Communicative / Experiential

1. Students will demonstrate to the class their favourite hobby

2. Students will be able to talk about themselves positively

3. Students will conduct an internet search to locate information on target language hobbies

4. Students will make a commercial about themselves

Cultural

1. Students will design a family tree

2. Students will learn the origin of the target language culture

3. Students will design a ‘coat of arms’ or flag representing who they are

4. Students will brainstorm target culture hobbies

Language

1. Students will be able to use vocabulary relating to the body and clothing

2. Students will explore words that describe feelings and personalities

3. Students will use who, what, when, where, why, and how questions in an interview with a classmate

General Language Education

1. Students will review their commercial and proofread a partner’s commercial

2. Students will summarize their work on ‘me’ and prepare a commercial

3. Students will be able to express any concerns about learning the target language

4. Students will be able to compare the target culture with their first culture

5. Students will use brainstorming techniques

 

Lesson 1: body parts and clothing

Grade level: 6-8

Language: English Second Language, intermediate

Length of class: 60 minutes

Field of Experience: Me

Subject to be developed: body parts and clothing vocabulary

Materials: Teacher Student

-pictures of body parts and clothing - big piece of light paper

(as big as a student’s body)

-markers

-pencils

Activity: Tracing a partner’s body on large light-coloured paper. Students will draw on clothes and physical features and label them with English vocabulary. Discuss. Have each student show their drawing and say who it is. Display on the classroom wall.

Steps to follow:

Teacher

- Review body parts and clothing vocabulary using pictures and actions

- Circulate around the room helping - Draw on clothes and physical features

- Discuss with the class the challenges of the activity (5 minutes)

Student

- Choose a partner

-Trace partners’s body with pencil on light paper with vocabulary -Label drawing

-Add finishing touches. Be creative (40 minutes)

- Present picture (who it is) and put it on wall (10 minutes)

- Help student put drawing on wall

Lesson 2: Personality traits and feelings

Grade level: 6-8

Language: English Second Language, intermediate

Length of class: 60 minutes

Field of Experience: Me

Subject to be developed: Personality traits and feelings

Materials:

-list of personality traits and feelings -paper

-pictures of feelings -pencils

-markers

Activity: "No more Mr. Nice Guy". Brainstorm in groups and then with the class all the words that can replace ‘nice’. Students will use the letters of the full name and associate a word with each letter, for example L- loving

Steps to follow:

- Divide students into groups of four using ‘terrific’, ‘fantastic’, ‘wonderful’ and ‘great’ (instead of numbering 1,2,3,4).

Tell them to find different words for ‘nice’.Suggest any feeling or personality word (give a couple of examples)

- Brainstorm personality and feeling words in the group. (15 minutes)

- Call class together and have each group - Write group’s words on the board write their words on the board (teacher)

- Discuss the variety of words

- Show pictures and actions of words (20 minutes)

- Each students write their full name vertically on a piece of paper

-Think of personality and feeling words that describe you and that begin with the letters of their name. Be creative. (20 minutes)

-Reflect on the vocabulary learned by playing the ABC game

-The class says the says the alphabet and whatever letter they have, think of a personality or feeling word. It is okay to pass. (5 minutes)

 

Lesson 4: Hobbies

Grade level: 6-8 Language: English, intermediate

Length of class: 100 minutes

Field of Experience: Me

Subject to be developed: Different hobbies

Materials:

-chart paper - their hobby

-computer/internet access

Activity: Hobby day. Each student has 2-3 minutes to show the class their hobby. Afterwards, the teacher will discuss some target language hobbies. For example, Canadian hobbies would include water activities (i.e.canoeing), ice sports (i.e. hockey), outdoor activities (i.e. hiking), different items to collect (i.e. stamps, sport cards, stickers). Students will go on the internet to find popular target language hobbies. A recommended web site is www.hobbyworld.com/Hobindex.htm. Discuss how these hobbies are similar and different to their hobbies.

Steps to follow:

- Students pick a number from a hat to determine the presentation order

- Each students shows or tells class about their hobby (50 minutes)

-Discuss some target language hobbies (10 minutes) and then direct students to computers to look up target language

hobbies on the internet <www.hobbyworld.com/Hobindex.htm>

- Look up target language hobbies on the internet (25 minutes)

- Discuss with the class the similarities/ differences between classes hobbies and

target language (15 minutes)

 

Continuing on with the unit...

Students will become familiar with their family background by designing their family tree. We will explore all the diverse backgrounds in the classroom. Students will also learn about the typical background of the target language individuals. The class will explore the different cultural values. For example, in Eastern cultures "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" and in Western cultures, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". That is why ESL students must learn to communicate and express themselves. To be able to speak up about who you are as an individual. Understand that this is accepted and expected in the Western culture. Throughout the unit the students will be able to reflect about their learning and make comparisons between their language and culture and the target language and culture.

All of these activities are leading up to the experiential goal. In preparation for the final goal, making a commercial ‘selling’ oneself. Students will design a ‘coat of arms’ or a flag representing who they are. These cultural crests will display their interests, friends, family, pets, hobbies, etc. (a summary of the previous lessons). While the class makes their crests, English music should be playing in the background.

Students will learn questioning skills in class, such as the who, what, when where, why, and how questions. They will then prepare an interview for a classmate. The students will interview a partner and then switch partners and tell their new partner about the person they just interviewed. All of these activities will help students get to know themselves.

Nearing the end of the multidimensional unit on ‘me’, students will collect all of their work on they have done throughout the unit (in the portfolio that the teacher kept for each student). They will review their information and write a commercial ‘selling’ themselves. In groups or partners they can share their commercials, and proofread each others’. While each student is being videotaped (in a non-threatening environment, decided by the class), the class will watch a video on self-esteem (an authentic English source). The teacher can ask the class questions such as: why is self-esteem important? How do people get a high or low self-esteem?

The final class students will have achieved the experiential goal and will watch the advertisements in class. During this time the students will fill out peer and self assessments...and realize how great they are!

 

Unit assessment

Students will be evaluated with grade letters (A, B, C) throughout the unit. Using a similar evaluation as the Maritime Oral Communication Assessment Portfolio, to receive an A means that the message was communicated or expressed in an appropriate manner. To receive a B means that the message was communicated or expressed but the effectiveness and/or accuracy must be improved. And the receive a C means that the message was not effectively communicated or expressed. The communicative / experiential objectives will be assessed by observing the students oral and written work. During ‘Hobby Day’ I will assign each student a grade based on how well their hobby explanation was communicated. I will also have students pass in their written commercial to assess their written work. The cultural objective will be assessed by their participation during the brainstorming of the target language hobbies. The language objective will be assessed by the use of vocabulary in their commercial that they learned throughout the unit. And the general language education will be assessed at the end of the unit on how well the student was able to integrate all three syllabi, their learning strategies, and I will look at how well each student expressed concerns about the target language.

While the students are watching each classmates commercial, they will be required to fill out peer and self-evaluations. Each student will be given a peer evaluation sheet that asks:

-What did you like best about the commercial?

-Did you understand your classmate’s commercial? Why or why not?

-Do you have any suggestions for your classmates commercial?

-Do you have any questions that were not answered?

The self-evaluation will ask:

-How would you rate your commercial (A, B, C)? Why?

-Did you feel comfortable and prepared doing your commercial?

-What did you like about your commercial?

-Do you have any suggestions that could improve this unit on the ‘me’ theme?

—Do you realize how great you are?

All evaluations will be passed in and an overall letter grade will be assigned to each student.

 

References

Hobby Ideas (2000). [on line] www.hobbyworld.com/hobindex.htm

Kristmanson, P. (2000) [class notes] Introduction to second language education: University of New Brunswick.

Reasoner, R. (1982). Building self-esteem: Teachers guide and classroom materials. California: Consulting Psychologists press

Rehorick, S. & Dicks, J. (1993). Maritime Oral Communication Assessment Portfolio, Fredericton, NB: SLEC

Richard-Amato, P. (1996). Making it happen. New York: Longman.

Second Languages Bulletin (June, 1990). National Core French Study Summary Report: the Canadian association of second language teachers.

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