LESSON PLANS

The lesson plans which follow are derived from the context of the Australian Curriculum where the general capability - ICT Capability - is located. It is important to note, however, that within the curriculum there are in fact a number of ways to integrate ICT and teach ICT capability. The first is to do as such and use the opportunities presented. Secondly, if opportunities do not arise then teachers can create them themselves so long as the appropriate time arises and that suitable software is selected for student use. Please remember, that students will only develop their ICT capability if they are provided with the opportunities to use more intellectually challenging content-free software such as word processors, coding programs, databases and graphic and graphing programs where the students’ level of decision-making and control is high.

ICT Capability in the Australian Curriculum Context

In the Australian English Curriculum for this particular year level, students are created to Create and Construct text in the following context.

• Imaginatively (narrative); • Informatively.

Literacy Development

The lesson plans included in this teaching resource only cover the ICT capability context of literacy development. Therefore, it is important that before implementing these in the classroom that you do further literacy activities and development based on the context provided in the Australian Curriculum. Lesson plans here can be implemented to further develop student literacy with the use of ICT at the completion of previous excercise and only when the teacher deems that the student has progressed to the level required and set by the work program devised.

How to use the Activity Planning Sheets

Planning and assessment are so closely related that is best that they are addressed together. As assessment is closely linked to forward planning, we have put together activity planning sheets that will not only save you time in your planning but also ensure that each aspect supports the other.

An activity planning sheet sets out what to look for in a student’s work as well as specifying the nature and purpose of the activity. Records like this can be used:

• By principals, deputy principals and ICT coordinators to monitor the implementation of ICT across the school; • To assist the teacher in future planning; • To inform the teacher of the next year group of what has been covered; • To inform supply teachers; • To show any discrepancies between what was taught and what was actually planned.

New story for favourite character

Student Task

Type up the draft of your favourite character on a document using the appropriate software and save it in the appropriate location using the correct filename.

Save your file under these names for these lessons:

Lesson 1 – draft 1 “student name”

Lesson 2 – draft 2 “student name”

Lesson 3 – etc

Final lesson – Final draft “student name”

Teacher Reference:

Please note that is only a suggested activity and that it should be used as a guide only.

MAKE A LIST HERE OF ANY ISSUES YOU MAY FACE AND ANY STRATEGIES YOU PLAN TO USE TO OVERCOME THEM.

DATE: SUBJECT: ENGLISH Curriculum Context: Invent a new story for a favourite character

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM LINK

Language – Text structure and organisation

ACELA1433 - Understand concepts about print and screen, including how books, film and simple digital texts work, and know some features of print, for example directionality Elaboration: Learning about simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and drop-down menu

ICT Capability Element: Managing and operating ICT Select and use hardware and software

Identify and safely operate ICT systems to complete relevant simple specified tasks and seek help when encountering a problem

Literacy – Creating text

ACELY1654 - Construct texts using software including word processing programs. Elaboration: Using simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and dropdown menu.

ICT Capability Element: Managing and operating ICT Select and use hardware and software

Identify and safely operate ICT systems to complete relevant simple specified tasks and seek help when encountering a problem

PREVIOUS LESSON

In the previous lesson, students invented a new story for their favourite character of a text they just heard. They drafted the story on paper and some drew a picture to accompany it.

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson, the students who have completed their story of their character can type it using the word processing software MS Word on the computer. Once finished they can then illustrate it using the Shapes tools. I will structure the activity which I will put on the screen, in a way that will stimulate thinking about choice of ICT tools. Students will discuss and compare features and functions of the available software and learn what ICT and where and why it is used in places.

LEARNING NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS

For ICT: Most students will need to know their passwords and usernames in order to log into the computer. They will need experience in opening the software and saving a document in addition to using the mouse and keyboard. For English: The aim of the lesson is to back up on their written story by practicing their literacy skills through typing using a word processor. They will be able to make changes to their text if spelling mistakes are made and understand how this changes the face of text. Also they will need to understand the concepts between print and screen.

GROUPING/TIMING

This activity can be achieved either as an individual or in pairs depending on the number of computers in the classroom. It may take 3 to 4 lessons to complete depending on the ICT capability level of students at the time.

RESOURCES

What resources are available to you? You will need: • Computer or laptop, iPad or other tablet computer • Word processor e.g. Microsoft Word or Pages for iPads,

THEORETICAL CONTEXT

Read through the ‘Teaching Strategies’ provided about: • Determining a starting point – assessing existing capabilities; • Introducing new software and techniques; • Monitoring and observation; • Whole class teaching; • Providing scaffolding; • What you need to know and why – assessing; • Keeping track of student progress.

YOUR OWN LEARNING NEEDS

(ARE THERE ANY CONCEPTS THAT YOU NEED TO REVISE AND REVIEW BEFORE TEACHING?) ICT techniques in MS Word: • To create capital letters – Shift or Caps Lock; • New line – Enter; • Creating images – Insert Tab: selecting shapes and using Shape fill, Shape Outline and Shape Effects.

ORGANISATIONAL MEMORY JOGGER

Things to organise include: • Passwords; • Availability of computers; • Maybe keys to computer lab.

INFORMATION FOR TEACHER AIDES/ADULT HELPERS

• Listen to what students to say and encourage them to share their ideas; • Help the children to understand that it is acceptable to try out their ideas and make mistakes; • Give the students time to work out their answers; • Take every opportunity to praise students’ success when completing the activity or developing a computer skill.

In this lesson, students will be able to: • Turn on the computer (if needed); • Log on and off the computer; • Open the software application – MS Word; • Learn how to create a capital letter on the keyboard; • Learn how to type using the keyboard; • Locate and pressing various letters; • Saving a file using a filename.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

How will you help children who are experiencing difficulties with ICT?

How will you develop further the skills, knowledge and understanding of the most able in the class?

What do you expect the majority to have achieved by the end of the lesson?

LEARNING NEEDS – ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

The strategies that I will use include: - Partnering the children appropriately according to the language needed to access the activity; - Allow some pairs to work at the same computer if they are experiencing difficulties; - Check and re-check understanding of task.

LEARNING NEEDS – SEN STUDENTS

Possible strategies include: • Peer tutoring; • Use printouts to help with the sequence of events; • Make step-by-step cards; • Enlist the help from other students; • Consider any minor adjustments to the existing activity; • Use the never-ending activity e.g. beebots. • Set challenges.

ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Students will be assessed on their capabilities to: • Operate a computer; • Logging on and off their portal; • Using a keyboard; English:

• Using Shift key or Caps Lock to create capital letters; • Creating images.

KEY QUESTIONS

Questions will be asked when it comes time to intervene and they will be in the form of focusing questions to assist students in the formation of generalisations. Interventions are also planned during the activity when students meet a need for the relevant knowledge. The planned interventions will be in addition to the unplanned interventions. Possible structured questions that focus on the process used: • What key would you press? • Where is the key? • How would you create a new line? • Why is there a squiggly line under the word? • What key do you press to leave a space between the words?

Whole class teaching is best for the demonstration of techniques.

EVALUATE THE LESSON (OPERATIONAL ISSUES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, NEXT LESSON)

Pre-Lesson

In order to be able to determine the existing ICT capability of students in the classroom, a pre-lesson should be planned where you will monitor and observe their interaction and progress with MS PowerPoint to-date.

The information you gather will be essential and needs to be taken into account otherwise your planning will be, at best, ineffective and, at worst, potentially counterproductive.

Have a checklist handy that lists a number of basic ICT techniques using the software. Leave additional spaces for any new ICT techniques that you may see students use and check them off against each individual students’ name.

Beginning of lesson • Explain to students that in this lesson they will continue to improve their writing by redrafting their work on their favourite character using ICT; • Discuss how ICT can be used to improve our communication with other people; • Have a whole-class discussion about what ICT is and where they might have seen people using it before. It might be at home or at school. Introduction • Continue the whole-class discussion about how ICT can be categorised into two areas – hardware and software;

Body

• Talk about how software is an ICT tool that many people use and instructs the computer to do what you want.

• Ask the students if they have ever heard of that term before; • Based on their answers, explain how many different types of software exists for different purposes. For example, the that a doctor would use would be different to that of a teacher at school; • Explain how there are software that is commonly used by everyone. Provide examples of software at school or in the classroom. In this part of the lesson, you need to further develop student autonomy in the selection of ICT tools and resources. • Choose two examples of software that students would likely used in this age group. For example, presentation software and word processing software; • In a whole-class discussion, go through the differences between both in terms of what they can do and how it can be done; • Discuss the features and functions of both; • Ensure that you highlight their purposes whilst you are pointing out these features; • Ask students if they know of other programs on the computer at school or home. (continued on next page)

Body – Whole class demonstration of ICT techniques

Body – Monitoring and Intervening

• Have the student task/activity up on the screen for them to see; • It should be structured in a way that you can discuss with them their choices and decisions about choosing software for a particular solution; • If you just want them to draft or redraft their literacy work, use computer-related terms in the description of the task.

Example:

Type your draft of the character story on a document using an appropriate program/software.

Now have a whole-class discussion about which program you compared recently would be the most suitable for this solution and why. Once students have decided on an answer, begin to demonstrate the key ICT techniques they will need to use in a whole-class demonstration.

• You will need to know if they could perform an ICT technique after having seen a whole-class demonstration.

• Think out loud the decisions you will make when choosing ICT techniques; • Model the planning process.

• When you have finished demonstration, set them off on their task. Stop the discussion and review what you have demonstrated. Monitoring students ICT work is important for two reasons: 1. It is common for students to appear to be usefully occupied with a task when in fact they are working very inefficiently and failing to exploit the potential of ICT; 2. Because of the richness of the ICT resource, they may divert from the task without it being obvious from their behaviour.

Monitor the components of ICT capability the following ways:

• Routines – have a checklist of ICT techniques which indicate if a student hesitant, steady or fluent with it; • ICT techniques – use a checklist for this as well to record which students are capable of achieving which ICT techniques; • Processes – DO NOT give them step-by-step instructions! Encourage them to try new ideas. Provide the minimum amount of support and withdraw it as soon as possible. • Higher Order Skills – You will need to judge the decisions children make I order to create a finished product. Monitor their HOS either by: • Modelling the techniques of strategic planning by thinking out aloud in front of the students to highlight the questions that might be asked during a process; • Giving the students responsibility for planning a task and then coach them by asking them focusing questions at intervals to guide students towards a viable plan; • Involve the students socially in planning, monitoring, evaluating and reflecting through whole class teaching.

Body – Monitoring and intervening (continued)

Conclusion - Student reflection

As students are going through the process of using ICT techniques, intervene when they fail to meet the expected outcome. That is, when they meet the need for the relevant knowledge.

Use focusing questions to help students in the formation of generalisations.

Draw students’ attention to any issues through the use of focusing questions instead of talking over the mouse or keyboard.

Ask students to see you when they meet a particular stage in the activity.

Other times to intervene include: When to explain or demonstrate something which was not appropriate at the start or perhaps question students about what they are doing; When a student has a problem. It would help if you can predict these difficulties; To drive the pace of the lesson forward or to set a more specific task such as Saving their drafts.

Observe when the students have completed the task. Now it is time for them reflect on their learning experiences with ICT.

Any reflection on mistakes will lead to learning which will improve their ability to make appropriate choices in the future.

Have a whole-class discussion on the ICT techniques and concepts learnt in the lesson.

If you have time, students can write a short report on this.

Activity Planning Sheet

Foundation Year (Prep)

Subject: English/ICT/literacy

Topic: My favourite character

ICT Capability Learning Continuum

Investigating with ICT Communicating with ICT Communicating with ICT Managing and operating with ICT

Activity: Students will use MS Word as a word processor to reinvent story that they recently heard. They will learn how to turn the computer on (if necessary), log on and off their portal using their username and passwords, to locate and open a software application, use the keyboard to locate keys and use the Shift key or Caps Lock key to create capital letters. Also, they will learn how to use the Enter key to start a new line and to save their work into their folders. Advanced students will have the time to learn how to find and locate the Insert tab in order to select Shapes and format them appropriately using colour, effects and outlines.

Grouping: For students who are EAL or SEN that may work better as a pairs otherwise students can work individually.

Assessment: Independent management of work. Appropriate use of Caps Lock and Shift keys. Appropriate use of font/style/colour of text. Use of Shape formats like effects, colour and outline. Overall use of the keyboard.

Retelling a Story

Type up the draft of your story on a document using the appropriate software and save it in the appropriate location using the correct filename.

Save your file under these names for these lessons:

Lesson 1 – draft 1 “student name”

Lesson 2 – draft 2 “student name”

Lesson 3 – etc

Final lesson – Final draft “student name”

Teacher Reference:

Please note that is only a suggested activity and that it should be used as a guide only.

MAKE A LIST HERE OF ANY ISSUES YOU MAY FACE AND ANY STRATEGIES YOU PLAN TO USE TO OVERCOME THEM.

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM LINK

Language – Text structure and organisation

ACELA1433 - Understand concepts about print and screen, including how books, film and simple digital texts work, and know some features of print, for example directionality Elaboration: Learning about simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and drop-down menu

ICT Capability Element: Managing and operating ICT Select and use hardware and software

Identify and safely operate ICT systems to complete relevant simple specified tasks and seek help when encountering a problem

Literacy – Creating text

ACELY1654 - Construct texts using software including word processing programs. Elaboration: Using simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and dropdown menu.

ICT Capability Element: Managing and operating ICT Select and use hardware and software

Identify and safely operate ICT systems to complete relevant simple specified tasks and seek help when encountering a problem

PREVIOUS LESSON

In the previous lesson, students invented a new story for their favourite character of a text they just heard. They drafted the story on paper and some drew a picture to accompany it.

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson, the students who have completed their story of their character can type it using the word processing software MS Word on the computer. Once finished they can then illustrate it using the Shapes tools. I will structure the activity which I will put on the screen, in a way that will stimulate thinking about choice of ICT tools. Students will discuss and compare features and functions of the available software and learn what ICT and where and why it is used in places.

LEARNING NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS

For ICT: Most students will need to know their passwords and usernames in order to log into the computer. They will need experience in opening the software and saving a document in addition to using the mouse and keyboard. For English: The aim of the lesson is to back up on their written story by practicing their literacy skills through typing using a word processor. They will be able to make changes to their text if spelling mistakes are made and understand how this changes the face of text. Also they will need to understand the concepts between print and screen.

GROUPING/TIMING This activity can be achieved either as an individual or in pairs depending on the number of computers in the classroom. It may take 3 to 4 lessons to complete depending on the ICT capability level of students at the time.

RESOURCES

What resources are available to you? You will need: • Computer or laptop, iPad or other tablet computer • Word processor e.g. Microsoft Word or Pages for iPads,

THEORETICAL CONTEXT

Read through the ‘Teaching Strategies’ provided about: • Determining a starting point – assessing existing capabilities; • Introducing new software and techniques; • Monitoring and observation; • Whole class teaching; • Providing scaffolding; • What you need to know and why – assessing; • Keeping track of student progress.

YOUR OWN LEARNING NEEDS

(ARE THERE ANY CONCEPTS THAT YOU NEED TO REVISE AND REVIEW BEFORE TEACHING?) ICT techniques in MS Word: • To create capital letters – Shift or Caps Lock; • New line – Enter; • Creating images – Insert Tab: selecting shapes and using Shape fill, Shape Outline and Shape Effects.

ORGANISATIONAL MEMORY JOGGER

Things to organise include: • Passwords; • Availability of computers; • Maybe keys to computer lab.

INFORMATION FOR TEACHER AIDES/ADULT HELPERS

• Listen to what students to say and encourage them to share their ideas; • Help the children to understand that it is acceptable to try out their ideas and make mistakes; • Give the students time to work out their answers; • Take every opportunity to praise students’ success when completing the activity or developing a computer skill.

In this lesson, students will be able to: • Turn on the computer (if needed); • Log on and off the computer; • Open the software application – MS Word; • Learn how to create a capital letter on the keyboard; • Learn how to type using the keyboard; • Locate and pressing various letters; • Saving a file using a filename;

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

How will you help children who are experiencing difficulties with ICT?

How will you develop further the skills, knowledge and understanding of the most able in the class?

What do you expect the majority to have achieved by the end of the lesson?

LEARNING NEEDS – ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

The strategies that I will use include: - Partnering the children appropriately according to the language needed to access the activity; - Allow some pairs to work at the same computer if they are experiencing difficulties; - Check and re-check understanding of task.

LEARNING NEEDS – SEN STUDENTS

Possible strategies include: • Peer tutoring; • Use printouts to help with the sequence of events; • Make step-by-step cards; • Enlist the help from other students; • Consider any minor adjustments to the existing activity; • Use the never-ending activity e.g. beebots. • Set challenges.

ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Students will be assessed on their capabilities to: • Operate a computer; • Logging on and off their portal; • Using a keyboard; English:

• Using Shift key or Caps Lock to create capital letters; • Creating images.

KEY QUESTIONS

Questions will be asked when it comes time to intervene and they will be in the form of focusing questions to assist students in the formation of generalisations. Interventions are also planned during the activity when students meet a need for the relevant knowledge. The planned interventions will be in addition to the unplanned interventions. Possible structured questions that focus on the process used: • What key would you press? • Where is the key? • How would you create a new line? • Why is there a squiggly line under the word? • What key do you press to leave a space between the words?

Whole class teaching is best for the demonstration of techniques.

EVALUATE THE LESSON (OPERATIONAL ISSUES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, NEXT LESSON)

Foundation Year (Prep)

Subject: English/ICT/literacy

Topic: My favourite character

ICT Capability Learning Continuum

Investigating with ICT Communicating with ICT Communicating with ICT Managing and operating with ICT

Activity: Students will use MS Word as a word processor to retell the story that they recently heard. They will learn how to turn the computer on (if necessary), log on and off their portal using their username and passwords, to locate and open a software application, use the keyboard to locate keys and use the Shift key or Caps Lock key to create capital letters. Also, they will learn how to use the Enter key to start a new line and to save their work into their folders. Advanced students will have the time to learn how to find and locate the Insert tab in order to select Shapes and format them appropriately using colour, effects and outlines.

Grouping: For students who are EAL or SEN that may work better as a pairs otherwise students can work individually.

Assessment: Independent management of work. Appropriate use of Caps Lock and Shift keys. Appropriate use of font/style/colour of text. Use of Shape formats like effects, colour and outline. Overall use of the keyboard.

Delivering the Lesson REFER TO PAGE 15