Unit plan: Who Are We? Unit overview

Unit Plan Title: Who Are We?

Year Levels Years 5 – 6?

Curriculum – Framing questions Essential Question

• What does ‘Australian’ mean? Unit Questions

• What can we learn from History? • Why is Australia a multicultural society? • How has immigration affected Australia’s society and culture? • What is Australia’s History – what has made us what we are today? • Who are our heroes?

Content Questions

• Why do we have people from many different parts of the world living in Australia? • Why would people leave the country in which they are born? • What is a refugee and/or an asylum seeker? • What was “The White Australia Policy? • Australia has seen many waves of immigration throughout its history. From which

regions of the world have our immigrants come?

Unit Summary Australia has seen several waves of immigration over its history. This unit aims to investigate the effect this has had on the make up of the Australian population and its culture. We will explore the circumstances and personal qualities that would induce someone to immigrate and/or flee their country of origin, and the effect this may have upon the immigrant/refugee. Teaching and Learning Strategies This unit employs a range of teaching and learning strategies aimed at encouraging independence, co-operation, and higher order thinking. A flexible timetabling organization such as a contract based/negotiated system will allow for individualization of tasks and expectations. Starting with a K-W-L session will help structure the class activities to focus on the needs of this group. Small group/ whole group/small group patterns will allow the sharing and reinforcing of research information. Asking students to finish this unit with a synthesis task requires a good knowledge of our history, an understanding of the social and global forces at play and also encourages them to hypothesis upon possible future scenarios.

Unit Plan: Who Are We? Page 1

Professional Learning

• Become familiar with the Learning objects to be used – and make sure they are readily available for class use and suitable for your intended purpose..

• Become familiar with basic Kahootz skills. (See prerequisite skills section.) • Become familiar with PowerPoint Producer and the skills involved in downloading

digital video footage, and the use of “Movie Maker” to edit video clips. • Access appropriate Professional Development either within the school or regionally

available sessions, delivered through centres such as SERCT. • To assist in the planning and implementation of this unit work with a team of teachers

across the year levels. When students are developing their weekly timetables and negotiating the tasks they will carry out good record keeping and understandings of individual students needs/weaknesses & strengths is important. The Librarian would be a good team member to include as he/she may be able to locate a wide range of source material.

• It would be an advantage to read the Multicultural Education policy of the Victorian Education department located at: http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/lem/multi/mpol.htm#pol

• Browse the website http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php (accessible from the educational channel) which will help you design an assessment rubric that may more accurately reflect your objectives and reflect your students needs, for this and any other project.

• The celebration/presentation at the end of this unit provides an opportunity to show other teachers the level of students’ understandings and thinking developed as a result of this unit. A flexible timetabling approach within the school for part of this unit might allow learning team members to swap roles for a short period and provide opportunity to gain ideas and understandings from each other.

Victorian Essential Learning Standards This unit can be used to assess a range of Victorian Essential Learning Standards. The table below is an example of how this unit may be used to assess some Level 4 standards. Strand Domain Dimension Key elements of

the Standards Students will:

Civics and citizenship

Civic knowledge & understanding

… understand the concept of multiculturalism and describe the contribution of various cultural groups …

Working with teams

… work cooperatively to allocate tasks and develop timelines. … accept responsibility for their roles and their tasks.

Physical, Personal and Social Learning

Interpersonal Learning

Building Social relationships

… respect for a diverse range of people and groups.

Discipline-based Learning Humanities/History Historical knowledge

and understanding

... ask questions about their own society.

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… sequence events and describe their significance in bringing about particular developments.

Reading

… interpret and respond to a wide range of literary, everyday and multimedia texts in print and in multimodal formats.

English

Writing

… produce in print and electronic forms, a variety of texts for different purposes …

Information Communication Technologies (ICT)

ICT for creating

… independently use a range of skills, procedures and functions to process different data types and produce accurate and suitably formatted products to suit different purposes and audiences.

Interdisciplinary Learning

Thinking Creativity

… generate imaginative solutions when solving problems.

Procedures

• Class Novel. Read one of the class novels (see suggested list in materials list) to the class prior to commencing the main body of this unit. A subsequent novel should be read throughout the implementation period of the unit.

• Whole class session discussing the essential question and what it means. Use an appropriate method to record student’s ideas.

• Complete the first columns of a K-W-L-H chart on the topic.

K-W-L-H.doc

See KWLH template below

• The K-W-L-H organiser provides students with a framework to explore their prior

knowledge on a topic and consider what they would like to know and learn. By breaking into small groups to list what we would like to learn (2nd column) provides a co-operative group opportunity for students to take on different roles.

• Complete the Digital learning Objects. • Use of a data projector (& smart board if available) to allow whole group to work

through L0779 The Journey of the Long Hai, together.

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. Figure 1digiLearn LO779 The Journey of the Hong Hai • Students interacting with the smart board allows the kinaesthetic learners to discover

where all the information is found on the page. Taking notes during the session will allow the verbal linguistic learner to make use of the information while the visual spatial learners are well catered for by the inherent format of the learning object.

• Stories (gathering more source material) Using the Immigration Museum’s website (see Internet Resources), students access the “Stories” page, and use a worksheet to take notes on the “waves” of immigration into Australia.

• Students will individually work through one of the following learning objects: • LO0684: The Journey of the Hong Hai: Design a Museum Exhibition.

Figure 2digiLearn LO684 The Journey of the Hong Hai: Design a Museum LO0614: Fiona Chiu: Chinese family tree

Figure 3digiLearn L0614 TFiona Chui: Chinese Family Tree L0361 Nhu Minh: Multiculturalism in Australia

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Figure 3digiLearn L0361 Nhu Minh: Multiculturalism in Australia.

This can be completed on classroom based computers and may be managed through the use of flexible timetabling such as ‘contract’ based organisation. Students would then need to book approx 1 hour on a work station, so as to complete the learning object in one sitting.

• As part of the “contract based” timetabling students will also be undertaking a variety of individual and small group activities, chosen from a selection developed using Tony Ryan’s Thinkers Keys.

Thinkers keys.doc

See Thinkers Keys below

• If possible linking the students up with e-pals from a class in anther school that

perhaps has a broader mix of different cultural & ethnic backgrounds would be a great benefit. This should not be viewed as a research task, but rather as an opportunity to make friends and later meet up for a joint outing.

• Co-operative group discussion (with differentiated roles – as outlined in Joan Dalton’s Adventures in Thinking) and completion of Y chart on various aspects of the personal aspects of immigration. Y charts ask students to explore what a given situation:- feels like/ looks like /sounds like. Eg.’s

o Arriving in a New Country, o Leaving your homeland, o Not Speaking the Language, o Living in a situation where you are not safe/free, o Being discriminated against – being unwelcome o Etc

Sample Y chart.doc

See Y chart below

• By asking students within each group to use a different coloured felt markers the

teacher is able to differentiate the contributions made by individual team members, and at a later time use an observational checklist or anecdotal notes as part of ongoing assessment.

Producer for PowerPoint 2003 • Students choose an imaginary character from an historically appropriate country and

time and write a diary of their journey to Australia. (Students may if they choose add their text directly into PowerPoint) Students could use PowerPoint Producer to present their diary. They can then either re-enact their story on video with their written work on slides or recount it to the camera and use pictures and maps etc as support.

Unit Plan: Who Are We? Page 5

• Prior to commencing the Kahootz project a whole group – small group – whole group session be used to develop an issues map or a lotus chart. Lotus charts and issues map are graphic organisers that can help identify the different dimensions or perspectives that relate to a particular event or topic of concern

ISSUES MAP.doc

See Map below

Kahootz Tasks • Students may work individually to produce an Xpression showing three scenes. Each

representing Melbourne in the 1950’s, today and how they think it might look in the 2030’s.

Figure 4 Kahootz Sample Xpression

• A mind map will be produced prior to commencing to help focus thinking and tease

out all the issues and possibilities.

\mind map example.doc

See mind map below

Celebration • It is envisaged that this unit would be conducted in conjunction with a whole school

integrated approach that would culminate in a celebration day. Cross age groups may be employed with students rotating round to several different “countries” throughout the day. Class performances and food from around the globe would feature at lunch break. This class’s performance might be “We Are Australian” with the Kahootz Xpression movie (See gifted Students section) playing at the same time.

Approximate time needed It is envisaged that this theme will be conducted across approximately 5-10weeks with approx 3 hours a week. However it would be advantageous to have read one of the suggested class novels prior to the commencement of the class work. A second novel could be undertaken while the unit is underway. Prerequisite skills

• Students and/or teachers should be familiar with the use of a digital video camera, and the use of a fire-wire to download footage to computer.

• PowerPoint producer may be new to the students but they will require a good working knowledge of PowerPoint and video editing software such as moviemaker.

• Kahootz skills: The skills involved in the Kahootz task are quite advanced and require an ability to:

Kahootz Skills Required Useful

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Navigate 3D worlds C Inserting objects C Resizing and repositioning objects C Swatching worlds and objects C Grouping objects C Internal object animation C Keypoint object animation C Inserting 3d or notebook text C Importing 2d images C Linking scenes C Adding sounds to objects World Keypoint animation C Attaching objects to camera C Inserting 3d or notepad text C

Materials and resources

Technology – Hardware Cdenotes requirement

Camera Printer C

Video Camera C

Computers C Datashow Projector C

Video Conferencing C

Digital Camera C Scanner Data logging equipment DVD player Television Internet connection VCR Fire wire card on one

computer C

Technology – Software Cdenotes requirement

CD-ROMs Editing Software WebPage Development Database/Spreadsheet Internet Web Browser Word processing Desktop publishing Multimedia C email software Kahootz C Animation Software PowerPoint Producer C

Digital Learning Resources L0779: The Journey of the Hong Hai

L0684: The Journey of the Hong Hai: Design a Museum Exhibition. L0361 Nhu Minh: Multiculturalism in Australia L0614: Fiona Chiu: Chinese family tree

Printed materials Starke, Ruth.; Nips XI, Port Melbourne: Lothian, 2000. Starke, Ruth.; Nips XI Go National; Port Melbourne: Lothian, McHugh, Siobhan; My Story, Snowy; Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 2003, Savvides, Irini; My Story, A Marathon of Her Own ; Ashton Scholastic Baillie, Allan; Adrift; Ringwood, Vic: Puffin, 1994

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Baillie, Allan ; The Boss; Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1992.

Supplies It would be great to have a supply of blank cd’s so the students could burn a copy of their PowerPoint to take home when they are finished. They could also do this for their Kahootz Xpression if they own the program at home. Otherwise publishing to the school kahootz web page would have to suffice.

Internet resources Immigration Museum - Australia, Victoria, Melbourne

http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/sobs/ (online project)

http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/lem/multi/index.htm

Others An excursion to the Victorian Immigration Museum, would enhance this unit. Accommodations for Differential Learning

Students with special needs • Through the use of a “contract based” classroom organization and negotiated

curriculum/evaluation setting, the teacher will be able to adjust the task to suit the needs of individual students. With the ‘Thinkers keys’ and Blooms activities the teacher might include less activities for this child her be more prescriptive as to which ones the child should complete. The special needs child might be included as an actor, the director or film maker in the Producer tasks.

• By pairing students for the individual learning objects a more able student may read aloud any sections that rely heavily upon text. In the learning objects L0361 and L0641 the special needs child could be responsible for typing the scene setting while his/her partner wrote the voice over, while completing the story board.

English as a Second Language (ESL) students • ESL students would hopefully be seen as a wonderful resource within this unit. • ESL student’s Kahootz task might be to create an Xpression that shows the

differences in everyday life in Australia and their country of origin. The visual nature of the Kahootz task should be an advantage.

• ESL student’s might have a slightly differentiated task for the PowerPoint Producer diary - if it is appropriate and they feel comfortable, they might like to document a more realistic diary of their own journey to Australia. This could be undertaken with other group members to help with re-enactment or story telling to video. Alternatively they might be able to provide a voice over in their native language by translating that written in English.

Gifted Students • The following tasks could be included in a contract based class organization with a

points weighting that allowed for the extra time they might require. • Capable ICT students will jointly produce a Kahootz movie of the song “I am

Australian” Each child will develop a scene to represent a line in the song. This can made into a Kahootz movie, which can then be played while the class performs the song at assembly as part of the celebration of this unit.

• A group of able and committed students might like to set up a class museum similar to the model used in the DLO: The Long Hai. They could gather material from primary

Unit Plan: Who Are We? Page 8

sources (parents, friends, relatives) or produce copies of items from the stories we research (immigration/ museum /websites /novels /etc).

• A debate on Australia’s refugee and asylum seeker policies could be researched and conducted by interested and able students.

Student Assessment

• The Victorian Essential Learning Standards supports a combination of assessment

practices: • assessment of learning (summative) • assessment for learning (formative) • assessment as learning (ongoing) • The table below shows a range of assessment criteria, tool and strategies applicable

to this unit. Victorian Essential Learning Standards

Assessment criteria

Evidence

Information Communication Technologies (ICT)

ICT for creating use a range of skills to develop a multimedia product that includes an interactive element

Humanities/History Historical knowledge and understanding make comparisons between aspects of different cultures and countries, in both the past and present, and ask questions about their own society.

Thinking

Creativity generate imaginative solutions when solving problems.

Kahootz Xpression involving 3 scenes of Melbourne – in the 1950’s, today and in 2030. Teacher assessment rubric for the Kahootz Xpression.

Assessment rubric - kahootz.doc

See rubric below The students Kahootz Xpression is to be included in their digital portfolio, which is set up as a web page and is burnt to CD twice a year and sent home at report time.

Humanities/Geography

Geospatial skills students use atlases, street directories and town plan maps to accurately describe the distance, direction and location of places.

English

Speaking & Listening students plan, rehearse and make presentations for different purposes. They adjust their speaking to take account of context, purpose and audience, and vary tone, volume and pace of speech t

PowerPoint Producer to record a fictional but historically plausible diary of an immigrant’s journey to Australia. Assessment Rubric for the PowerPoint Producer task.

Assessment rubric - PowerPoint Producer. See rubric below Peer assessment on PowerPoint Producer

PMI.doc

See PMI below

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Building Social relationships

Interpersonal Learning

Working with teams

Self assessment sheet on cooperation.

co-operation self assessment.doc

See assessment rubric below Teacher observational checklist (including Y chart)

Key Word Search Multiculturalism, culture, refugee, immigration, immigrant, Asian, asylum seekers, boat people, white Australia, race, racism, © State of Victoria 2004. This work has been created by the Department of Education and Training, Victoria and copyright is owned by the Crown in right of the State of Victoria. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for the purposes other than those indicated above requires the written permission of the Department of Education and Training. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and copyright should be addressed to the Liability Management Manager, Department of Education and Training, 2 Treasury Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3002 The State of Victoria accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any part of this material and bears no responsibility for any modifications made. Intel® Teach to the Future Unit Plan template used with permission. © 2004 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

Unit Plan: Who Are We? Page 10

K-W-L-H

The K-W-L-H organiser provides students with a framework to explore their prior knowledge on a topic and consider what they would like to know and learn. This organiser can be used as an individual or group strategy but is most effective when students are given the opportunity to reflect individually before sharing with others.

K - Stands for helping students recall what they KNOW about the subject.

W - Stands for helping students determine what they WANT to learn.

L - Stands for helping students identify and reflect upon what they have LEARNT at the end of a topic or activity.

H - Stands for HOW did we learn it and aids metacognition by assisting students to reflect upon what they have learnt and how they have learnt it.

K-W-L-H

What We Know What We Want to Find Out

What We Learned

How Did We Learn It

Choose from the following activities:

The Reverse Listing Key Place words such as cannot, never or not in a sentence. Eg. Name 10 things that you could not eat. The What If Key What If Australia was invaded and taken over by another country?

The Disadvantages Key Think of boat list a number of its disadvantages. Then list some ways of correcting or eliminating these.

The Combination Key List the attributes of a mobile phone and a stove., then combine the attributes into a single object.

The Alphabet Key Compile a list of words from A- Z which have relevance to “culture”. Expand on these.

The Variations Key How many ways can you: make new friends?

The Picture Key

How many ways can you link this picture to the topic? The Prediction Key Predict what children will be like in 100 years. Make a list of 10 characteristics.

The Different Uses Key Find 10 uses for empty detention centres.

The Ridiculous Key No one new can come to Australia – substantiate!

The Commonality Key Normally a refugee from Africa and the Queen have nothing in common, and try to find common points between them.

The Question Key The answer is chilli. List five questions that give that answer.

The Brainstorming Key Many people who come to Australia as migrants do not feel welcome. Brainstorm solutions.

The Brick Wall Key “If people come to Australia to live – they should fit in with our culture!” is a statement which would not generally be questioned or disputed, try to break down the wall by outlining other ways of dealing with the situation.

The Forced Relationships Key You need to dig a hole with a pair of chopsticks, a hair tie and a chair. (Objects cannot be used for what they were intended.) You may draw a diagram.

The Alternative Key Work out three ways to clean your teeth without a toothbrush. You may draw a diagram.

The Interpretation Key The government decided half the people of Australia had to leave. Why?

SOUNDS LIKE LOOKS LIKE

NOTE: It is recommended to use large sheets of butcher’s paper for

this task as neatness and presentation should not hinder

the flow of ideas.

FEELS LIKE

ISSUES MAP

HOW HAS IMMIGRATION AFFECTED LIFE IN AUSTRALIA?

An issues map can help identify the different dimensions or perspectives that relate to a particular event or topic of concern. It is often helpful to have issues phrased as questions as these can be answered differently depending on the point of view held by those who suggest an answer. The responses can then be categorised as positive or negative.

How has immigration

affected life in Australia?

Economical Cost to rest of society? Provide wealth/workers?

Social/Community Fragmented groups? Increased diversity? Fear/suspicion?

Technological Development &use of new technologies? Skills?

Ethical What are the ethical issues?

Political Do the politicians make the policies or do they reflect popular opinion?

Ecological Has immigration had any ecological effects?

JOURNEY TO AUSTRALIA

Powerpoint Producer Show

Student’s feedback for ___________________________

Student’s feedback from__________________________

Date______________

Plus / Minus / Interesting

P(+)

plus

M(-)

minus

I(?)

Interesting

Assessment rubric What is Australian?

Kahootz Expression TEAM: ______________________________________________________

EXPRESSION_________________________________________________

Element x/x Basic

5pts Good 10pts

Excellent 15pts

Points

Understandings of cultural effects of immigration (HUMANITIES _HISTORY & CIVICS)

X2 .Little difference between 2 scenes.

Two scenes show several difference.

Great contrast between the two scenes with at least 5 “cultural” differences.

Control of expression/ animation (ICT)

X2 Objects inserted, moved, resized & swatched.

Keypoint animation applied to at least one object.

Interactive element included. (Eg “Find 10 differences between the two scenes.” Output as movie.

Working as a team (INTERPERSINAL) X 1

Members have difficulty accepting each others contributions.

Members work independently and then submit jointly.

Members compare, discuss and cooperatively make decisions.

Comment:

TOTAL: x/75

Assessment rubric WHO ARE WE?

PowerPoint Producer Movie “Journey to Australia”

NAME: _________________________ DATE______________

Element x/x Basic 16pts

Good 18pts

Excellent 20pts

Points

students use atlases, street directories and town plan maps to HUMANITIES/GEOGRAPHY (Geospatial skills)

X2 .Map included Map labelled. Map/diagrams/ satellite pic from more than one source. Key and notation included.

students plan, rehearse and make presentations for different purposes. ENGLISH (Speaking & Listening)

X2

Student read from presentation – little modulation of tone, volume too soft. May be wordy or too brief.

Understandable speech. Information chunked or summarised. Some volume, little variation in tone or pace.

Clearly presented – obviously rehearsed. Speech summarises information and draws attention to main points. Good volume, tone and pace to assist with meaning.

Design Creativity/Technology x.5 Mainly only written

work, poorly set out.

Headings and subheading. Backgrounds. Some pictures.

Consistent design theme carried through throughout presentation. Multiple pictures. Use of paragraphs or bullet points or other tool to make information clear and easy to read.

English - writing x.5 Phrases and captions only.

Story makes sense and is in logical sequence. Full sentences, including full stops. Adjectives and adverbs.

Many compound sentences. Descriptive passages. Includes impressions and emotions.

Comment: TOTAL: x/100

Name: ___________________ Date: ______ This is how I would rate my behaviour when working in groups. !0 is highest, 1 is lowest.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

My rating

Listening to others

Sharing things

Taking turns in speaking

Contributing ideas

Encouraging others

Doing my share of the work

Working well with everyone in the group

Checking that the work is done properly

• I have a low rating for __________________________________________ because_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• To improve I am going to ______________________________________

__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

• I have a high rating for ________________________________________

because __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Comment on your group’s performance: What star rating would you give yourself?