Multidimensional Unit

 

Introduction to Second Language Education

ED3561

Instructor: Paula L. Kristmanson

5 December 2000

Ellen Capon

Overview of multidimensional unit

Grade level: K-3

Language and level: English, beginner

Field of Experience: Leisure — Holiday Celebrations

Topics to be developed: Children’s Favourite Holidays

Holidays in Canada

Resources for Celebration

Canadian Thanksgiving

Experiential Goal: Share Thanksgiving Dinner.

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

  • describe holidays from other cultures
  • describe Canadian holidays
  • discuss reasons we celebrate
  • discuss their own reasons to be thankful
  • follow a recipe
  • recount/reconstruct a story they have heard
  • plan a healthy dinner menu

The follow-up lesson (after the Thanksgiving Dinner) will include a class discussion and a written reflection in their journal about the dinner and what it meant to them. Self-evaluation questions will be done in conference with the teacher.

Steps to follow to achieve the goal:

(Lesson Plan 1) 1. Children’s Favourite Holidays.

2. Reasons for celebration will be discussed.

3. Holidays in Canada will be investigated.

(Lesson Plan 2) 4. Canadian Thanksgiving, Harvest Festivals.

(Lesson Plan 3) 5. Plan Menu for Thanksgiving Dinner and discuss concept of thankfulness. Write about what we are thankful for.

6. Role-play trip to grocery store to get food for dinner.

7. Share Thanksgiving dinner.

8. Reflection and self-evaluation. Why do we have holidays?

 

Objectives for the Communicative/Experiential, Cultural, Language, and General Language Education Syllabi

Communicative/Experiential

Lesson 1. Class discussion of favourite holidays.

Lesson 1. Group discussion for cluster maps of celebration words.

Lesson 1. Make banners and streamers of favourite holidays and celebration words.

Lesson 2. In groups, children will read the cookie recipe and follow the directions.

Lesson 2. Children will roll out dough, according to instructions and cut out and decorate cookies.

Lesson 2. Children will help with washing and drying utensils.

Lesson 3. In groups, children will make collages of Thanksgiving dinner.

Lesson 3. Children will share their ideas of thankfulness with a partner.

Lesson 3. Children will follow oral and modeled instructions to weave a placemat.

Cultural

Lesson 1. Describe holidays of different cultures

Lesson 1. Discuss why we celebrate.

Lesson 1. Discuss holidays of Canada.

Lesson 2. Read a cookie recipe.

Lesson 2. Guest reader (native speaker other than teacher) will read Thanksgiving story.

Lesson 3. Discuss dinner time in each person’s house and healthy eating habits.

Language

Lesson 1,2,3. Each student will add new vocabulary to a personal dictionary.

Lesson 1,2,3. Each student will write a reflection of each day’s activities in a personal learning journal.

Lesson 1. Fill in a cluster map of celebration words.

Lesson 2. As a class, students will identify the main concepts of the Thanksgiving story, graffiti style on board.

Lesson 3. As a class, students will plan the menu for Thanksgiving dinner. Suggestions will be written on the board graffiti style.

Lesson 3. Students will talk and write about their reasons to be thankful, sharing with a partner. Each student will help the other deciding the best way to say/write their ideas.

General Language Education

Lesson 1. Writing in journal about favourite holiday using terms and expressions from lesson 1 with peer evaluation to see how it can be said/written better.

Lesson 2. Students will give their reactions and opinions to the story orally.

Lesson 2. Students will write in their learning journals, reflecting on the Thanksgiving story and making cookies.

Lesson 3. Students will reflect on their thankful ideas, collage making, and mat weaving in their journals.

 

 

Lesson Plans

Grade level: K-3 Language: English

Length of class: half-day

Field of Experience: Leisure — Holiday Celebrations

Lesson: One

Subject to be developed: Children’s favourite holidays

Materials:

- sparkles

- new vocabulary dictionary

- scissors, glue, crayons, markers, construction paper

- journal

 

Activities: The children will make celebration banners.

Steps to follow:

Teacher

- introduce subject of favourite holidays, ask why

we have celebrations.

- describe favourite holidays

- show an example of a celebration banner and

explain the activity.

- distribute craft materials. - make celebration banners depicting favourite holidays.

- introduce new vocabulary related to celebrations.

- make streamers for banners using new words.

- in groups, make cluster maps using celebration vocabulary.

- as a class, brainstorm a large cluster map of all

holidays in a circle

- each child’s banner is placed around the perimeter

of the cluster map.

- add celebration words to dictionary

- reflect on favourite holiday and banner activity in journal

 

Grade level: K-3

Language: English

Length of class: half-day

Field of Experience: Leisure — Holiday Celebrations

Lesson: Two

Subject to be developed: Canadian Thanksgiving

Materials:

Teacher

- Thanksgiving book - cookie dough recipe

- ingredients for cookies

- baking utensils

- cookie cutters

- new vocabulary dictionary

- journal

Activity: Make cookies and hear Thanksgiving story.

Steps to follow:

Teacher

- introduce and write on board new vocabulary

for baking.

- read cookie recipe and go over baking steps - read cookie recipe and go over baking steps with teacher

- distribute ingredients - in groups of 4, blend ingredients for cookies

- mix ingredients in mixer

- a student from each group will put dough in refrigerator. Dough stays in fridge one hour.

- talk about Thanksgiving, harvest festivals, concept

of thankfulness.

- as a class, students share their experiences related to these types of festivals

- introduce guest reader (I chose a guest reader so

the children will hear another native speaker)

- guest reader reads Thanksgiving story

- as a class students identify the main characters, ideas, settings, and events with graffiti on board

- teacher describes details, children connect main concepts

to the details and add graffiti

- teacher leads in organization of main concepts,

and students help revise graffiti

- students give reactions to and opinions of the story

- cookie dough brought out of refrigerator - in groups, students roll out dough, and use cookie cutters to cut out cookies, and place on baking tins, decorate with sprinkles, etc.

- place cookie tins in oven for ten minutes.

- wash/help teacher wash bowls, spoons, baking utensils, etc.

- new words added to vocabulary dictionary

- reflect in journal on thanksgiving story and making cookies

- cookies go home with children

Grade level: K-3

Language: English

Length of class: half-day

Field of Experience: Leisure — Holiday Celebrations

Lesson: Three

Subject to be developed: Menu for Thanksgiving dinner, and reasons to be thankful.

Materials:

Teacher

- magazines

- scissors, glue, paper, construction paper

- new vocabulary dictionary

- journal

 

Activities: Plan menu for Thanksgiving dinner. Collage. Weave placemats

Steps to follow:

Teacher

- introduce experiential goal idea — sharing a

Thanksgiving dinner together. - as a class, discuss dinner time and healthy eating habits

- write new vocabulary words on board

- as a class, plan menu for Thanksgiving dinner using graffiti on board

- go over vocabulary, and help with graffiti on board

- distribute craft materials - in groups of 4 make collages of the dinner menu using pictures from magazines

- introduce subject of thankfulness, and reasons

to be thankful

- write new vocabulary words on board - with a partner, share ideas of thankfulness, and write their reasons for being thankful (partners can give ideas about how to say things better or in a different way)

- place children’s reasons for being thankful on

wall in a cornucopia picture

- show woven construction paper placemat. show and

tell how to make one.

- weave placemats to be used at dinner (music — Raffi — in background)

- new words added to vocabulary dictionaries

- reflect in journal on reasons to be thankful, collage making, and weaving

 

Evaluation

Ongoing monitoring for understanding and use of the language will be done by the teacher throughout the unit. As activities are being done, the teacher will be observing and noting difficulties to work on with individuals on a post-it note. The teacher will have a log with each child’s name on a page for these post-it notes and other written notes regarding progress. The teacher will be looking for use of new vocabulary, communication skill with others, ability to understand and follow directions, ability to reflect the day’s activities.

The teacher will be looking at the journals and vocabulary dictionaries each child keeps. The teacher will be looking for understanding and use of new vocabulary, as well as ability to reflect on the day’s activities and how well the child uses the language to express their ideas in written form.

One half hour in each day will be used for conferencing. The teacher will meet individually with approximately six children and discuss any concerns the teacher has noted as well as how well the child is doing. At this time, the student can share with the teacher their self-evaluation by answering the questions:

Further Holidays

Other holidays that could be explored in depth like Thanksgiving was in this unit are:

 

Sources

 

Richard-Amato, Patricia. 1996. Making It Happen; Interaction in the Second Language Classroom. Addison-Wesley Publishing Group. White Plains, NY.

Rigg, Pat and Virginia G. Allen. 1989. When They Don’t All Speak English. National Council of Teachers of English. Urbana, Ill. 77-93.

Meaker, Loretta. 1999. Communication Links; Basic activities for the language classroom. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

 

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