EDEN291 - English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 2 (8-12)

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

EDEN290 English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1 (B-8)

Incompatible

EDLA342 Literacy Education 2: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment ; EDLA369 Literacy Education 2

Unit rationale, description and aim

During the later years of primary schooling it is expected that students have mastered reading and writing skills and that they are able to use reading and writing as tools for learning in all content areas.

The focus of this unit is on research–based application to scaffold children’s learning and teacher assessment of both Receptive (reading, listening and viewing) and Productive (writing, creating, speaking) modes using increasingly more complex Imaginative, Informative and Persuasive texts and a variety of media (e.g. written, oral, and multimodal). Preservice teachers will also understand how to teach, plan. monitor, assess and integrate children’s composition and comprehension skills across a range of curriculum areas in years 3–6 whilst catering for diverse learning needs. Learning in this unit will require critical evaluation of a range of approaches to teaching literacy and assessment based on theories of children’s literacy development within the socio–cultural approach.

This aim of this unit is to extend pre–service teacher knowledge and understanding of English language, literacy and literature for teaching, pedagogy and assessment as applied in the Upper Primary and Middle years classroom. Pre–service teachers are required to scaffold children’s learning of more complex levels of reading and writing processes, cater for diversity and support upper primary students to become effective, analytical and critical readers and writers.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1    Apply theories of children’s literacy development to critically evaluate a range of teaching approaches and resources to understand the concepts, content and structure of Receptive and Productive modes of English (GA1, GA4, GA5; APST 1.2, 1.5, 2.1, 3.4)

LO2    Select, organise and create a range of teaching content into an effective and engaging learning and teaching sequence in English and other curriculum areas, applying knowledge of curriculum, assessment and reporting based on research-based strategies for upper primary using more complex texts (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.5, 7.4).

LO3     Apply content and pedagogical knowledge to program, plan and teach Reading/Viewing and Writing/Composing skills using more complex texts, incorporating teaching strategies for diverse learners’ needs (linguistic, Gifted and Talented; Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander and ASD) (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.5).

LO4     Explain effective assessment approaches, design of assessment tasks and application in the upper primary classroom in relation to Imaginative, Informative and Persuasive texts (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10, APST 3.6, 5.1).

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL

On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:

Content

Topics will include:

• Review of theories of the processes of reading and writing development and the ways in which these theories shape and construct literacy programs (e.g., socio-cultural, functional, cognitive in the later years of primary schooling)
• Metalanguage for examining and creating written and multimodal printed and digital texts of literary, factual and persuasive texts intended for older children in the English and Literacy as a General Capability
• Strategies for promoting and motivating children’s literacy learning, including strategies for spelling, writing, creating multimodal texts to develop competence and comprehension
• The theory, practices and strategies that support children to become effective, analytical and critical writers and readers of a variety of text types for different purposes
• Assessment-related issues and the purposes, characteristics, and limitations of various types of assessments (diagnostic, formative and summative)
• Effective methods of planning and sequencing activities and strategies that are intended to promote literacy and learning, monitoring and assessment across the curriculum
• Pedagogies for teaching Reading/Viewing of multimodal printed and digital texts.
• Pedagogies for teaching Writing/Composing of multimodal printed and digital texts.
• Strategies to differentiate Literacy instructions for diverse learners (for example: linguistic and /or religious; Gifted and Talented; Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander and Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Understanding the use of state and national curriculum requirements in planning literacy programs
• Literacy Learning Progressions
• Literary Literacies: Digital, Cultural, Narrative, Critical and Deep Literacies: The future

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Teaching and learning in this unit is based on a Social Constructivist approach (Vygotsky, 1978), which emphasises the critical importance of the cultural and social aspects of learning. Learning will be scaffolded through both explicit instruction and opportunities to engage in a range of interpersonal activities in workshops, lectures and tutorials to enable students to learn from and with each other as active co-constructors meaning, skills and understanding. This approach is highly effective for the teaching of literacy in the upper Primary classroom and Middle Years. Learning will be supported by online activities and a range of current research delivered in the form of reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts and other multimedia options.

This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester.

Technology Enhanced Learning

Technology will be used to enhance teaching and learning, as well as in assessment, as a means of communication, production and feedback. Students will be required to create digital artefacts and interact with the unit’s ‘Learning Environment Online’ (LEO) site, online resources and technology requirements. The LEO site for this unit is available here:

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks and their weightings allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating academic and professional standards. The unit focuses on developing understanding of, and skills across the professional knowledge, practice and engagement needed to meet expectations of the Graduate Attributes and the APST - Graduate level. In this unit assessment task 1 focusses on preservice teachers’ ability to apply  linguistic subject knowledge gained in the first, second and current unit to distinguish delicate types of genres within major genre families (i.e. Imaginative, Informative and Persuasive) commonly encountered in the Year 3-6 English and other curriculum areas, compose high quality texts to be used model texts for teaching Writing/Composing. Assessment task 2 assesses preservice teachers’ skills to design activities to scaffold students’ writing and composition of texts to demonstrate their learning in the English and other curriculum areas. Assessment task 3 focusses on preservice teachers’ knowledge and skills to design a program to teach comprehension of multimodal texts with consideration for diverse student ability.

A range of assessment procedures are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements. (http://www.acu.edu.au/policy/student_policies/assessment_policy_and_assessment_procedures).

Minimum Achievement Standards

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit all assessment tasks and achieve an overall

To promote sustained learning, pre-service teachers are expected to complete weekly readings and practice tasks as assigned by teaching staff and submit ALL assessment tasks. Assessments in EDEN291 include two Critical Tasks:

• Assessment Task 2: Learning Activities Group Presentation
• Assessment Task 3 Unit of Work 

These tasks are core to the demonstration of a number of Australian Professional Teacher Standards. In order to pass this unit, pre-service teachers must demonstrate mastery of every summative standard listed in the learning outcomes and attain a score of at least 50% in Task 2 and Task 3 and achieve a Passing grade overall.

Electronic Submission, Marking and Return

Assessment Tasks will be submitted, marked and returned electronically via LEO as appropriate and in accordance with the ACU assessment policy. This unit uses Turnitin as a text matching tool. 

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 3: Unit of Work Extended Task Description

Part 1: Preparation for Programming

1.1. Selecting teaching resources 

• Select from the novella one situation involving the antagonist, the Other Mother, and a corresponding situation in one of the adapted versions (i.e. either the graphic novel or animation). You can re-use the situations you selected for Hurdle Task 1 or a new situation upon your tutor’s approval. 
• Present the two selected excerpts in the Appendix. If you choose the movie adaptation, please present screenshots of the beginning and the ending scene of your selected situation. If you choose the graphic novel adaptation, please present a scanned copy of the whole situation. 

1.2. Text analysis for teaching content 

a. Identify examples of language, visual and sound resources relevant to your selected excerpts for expressing the character’s Thoughts and Feelings as one indirect characterisation strategy. Specifically: 

• Novella: Identify at least 6 examples of language resource 
• Graphic novel: Identify at least 3 examples of language resource and 3 examples of visual image  
• Movie: Identify at least 2 examples of language and 2 examples of visual and 2 examples of sound resources  

b. Explain how the resources in each of the examples contribute to the expressing the character’s Thoughts and Feelings 

Part 2: Programming for teaching Reading and Viewing of multi-version narrative 

Teaching context: 

• Class profile: Stage 3 class of 30 students with diverse backgrounds including a student with a disability 
• Term 1, 8 weeks, 16-18 lessons, each lesson takes places between 40-50 minutes 
• English textual concept: character 
• Objective: critical comprehension of characterisation across two narrative versions 

Tasks: 

You are going to develop:

(1)  a brief program to teach a Stage 3 class comprehension of characterisation across two narrative versions and

(2)  4 detailed lesson plans out of your program.

Requirements for the program development and lesson plan are detailed below. 

2.1. Brief Program (See sample program provided) 

a. Teaching content: The content of the program is divided into 2 units: 

Unit 1: Comprehension of characterisation in the novella 

Unit 2: Comprehension of the transductions of characterisation in the adapted version 

b. Program components: The program consists of two major sections: Unit summary and teaching sequence 

• Unit summary: Concept focus, Duration, Unit Overview explanation, Resource, Learning outcomes, Adjustment overview 
• Teaching sequence: consisting of 2 units of work (one for the novella and one for the adapted version) 

c. Unit of work components: each unit of work consists of: 

• a lesson sequence: name the lesson (i.e. teaching intention) and list teaching contents 
• teaching resources: list possible teaching resources 
• assessment: list assessment activities 

2.2. Detailed lesson plans: 

Provide detailed plans for 4 lessons, 2 from each unit. 

• Unit 1: one BEFORE reading and one DURING reading lesson 
• Unit 2: one DURING viewing and one AFTER viewing lesson 

Each lesson needs to include activity sequences, specific formative assessment and differentiation activities for student diversity. The lessons do not include homework. 

Representative texts and references

Required text(s)

Relevant state and territory English curriculum documents

Seely Flint, A., Kitson, L., Lowe. K., Shaw. K., Vicars, M., Feez, S., & Humphrey, S. (2020). Literacy in Australia: Pedagogies for engagement (3rd ed.). Milton, Qld: Wiley.

Tomkins, G; Smith, C; Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2019). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (3rd ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press

Recommended references

Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in context (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2016). Visible learning for literacy, Grades K-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Literacy.

Henderson, R. (2018). (Ed). Teaching literacies Pedagogies and diversity (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Hertzberg, M. (2012). Teaching English language learners in mainstream classes. Marrickville Metro, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Humphreys, S. (2017). Academic literacies in the middle years: A framework for enhancing teacher knowledge and student achievement. New York, NY: Routledge.

Kalantzis, M., Cope, B., Chan, E., & Dalley-Trim, L. (2016). Literacies (2nd ed). Port Melbourne. Vic: Cambridge University Press.

Layne, S. (2015). In defense of reading aloud: Sustaining best practice. York, Maine: Stenhouse

Parkin, B., & Harper, H. (2019). Teaching with Intent 2: Literature-based literacy teaching and learning. Marrickville Metro, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Unsworth, L. (2001). Teaching multiliteracies across the curriculum. Buckingham: Open University Press

Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P, Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2020). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (6th ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Zbraracki, M. (2015). Writing right with text types. Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.