Shandar Storm S00117838

EDLA309 Assignment 3

Section 3: Justification for Instruction

This justification will focus on the activities and strategies used to teach the language
features dialogue and adjectival phrases, to support grade 5 students writing of these features
within an information narrative. The unit developed was based on the teaching and learning
planning cycle and includes the key stages of learning when working towards independently
writing a text type (Derewianka, as cited in Hertzberg, 2012, p. 115). It also incorporates the
gradual release of responsibility model, ensuring that new information is introduced,
explained, modelled and practiced before group or independent work is asked of students
(Brace, Brockhoff, Sparkes, & Tuckey, 2006, p. 24). Specific oral activities such as; Readers
Theatre and Gossip Mill have been incorporated into the two lessons to ensure a range of
learning opportunities for all students in the class.
Sessions 5 and 6 scaffold learners to write dialogue and adjectival phrases within an
information narrative. Dialogue within narratives and information narratives can be indirect
or direct and both forms have certain identifiers. The use of the word that to signify
something the speaker has said He said that. signifies indirect speech and synonyms of
said as well as quotation marks are used to signify direct speech (Wing Jan, 2009, p. 241).
Session 6 focuses on adjectival phrases to provide richer descriptions of nouns (Australian
Curriculum, 2014). Adjectival phrases are groups of words which do not include a verb and
add more information to a noun (Dykes, 2007, pp. 154-164; Wing Jan, 2009, p. 237). Both
dialogue and adjectival phrases are language features which need to be learnt and practised to
write an effective information narrative.
Students are learning to use interesting adjectives and adjectival phrases to create rich
descriptions of people, places and things. Hertzberg (2012) includes the building of
adjectival phrases as an important part of building topic knowledge. Therefore from the
initial lesson of the unit, explicit teaching of topic language occurs as learners begin to
brainstorm words, including adjectives which relate to the topic of migration. Session 6
begins with a read aloud of Refugees (Miller, 2004) and explicit identification of the authors
choice of language to develop adjectival phrases. Using published texts in the classroom and
noticing what authors do is fundamental for helping students become good writers (Routman,
2014, p. 112). The educator uses the think aloud strategy to bring their own thinking into the

Shandar Storm S00117838

EDLA309 Assignment 3

open by verbalising their thoughts, to effectively model the process behind identifying
adjectival phrases (Block, 2004, p. 154; Tompkins, 2010, p. 275). The students then become
part of the process through collaboratively identifying adjectival phrases within the text as the
teacher expertly scribes their contributions during shared writing (Sloan, 2009, p. 51). The
inclusion of a Gossip Mill (Dennison, 2011, p. 32) is an opportunity for students to orally
practice the language focus of this lesson. This activity choice is appropriate for a range of
ability levels as learners are able to change their gossip after each exchange. Therefore those
who are less confident, or have lower ability at forming their own adjectival phrases, are able
to use another students gossip and spread this instead (Dennison, 2011, p. 32). As a result,
ESL learners can copy a more fluent English speakers use of language throughout this
activity. Picas research (as cited in Hertzberg, 2012, p. 52) suggests that it is more
comforting for ESL students to interact with their peers and will often take more risks with
their new language in group situations such as this.
Focus lessons and group or partner work are included in most sessions of this unit. In
session 6, the focus group, which in this session includes mostly ESL learners, continues to
encourage oral practice of adjectives through a picture-matching activity. The use of images
instead of written descriptions are used to elicit vocabulary and assists these students to
generate ideas by allowing them to visualise adjectival descriptions (Bearne & Wolstencroft,
2007, p.56; Gibbons, 2002 p. 62). The majority of the class are also grouped, working
together to write adjectival phrases using a stimulus. Group sizes are generally kept to 3-4
students to encourage contribution and listening from all students (Brace et al., 2006, p. 57).
This provides a situation that requires extended conversation in which students can orally
practice the focus language feature, as well as for ESL learners, the English language overall.
Working with other students is seen as essential for ESL students because of this promotion
of purposeful communication (Hertzberg, 2012, p. 52). For all learners, group work provides
an authentic experience within which they can construct their own knowledge and develop
speaking and listening skills, which are the foundation of writing (Brace et al., 2006, p. 56;
Fellowes & Oakley, 2010, p. 327).
Students are learning to recognise and write direct and indirect dialogue. Session 5
begins with modelled writing, a teaching strategy that is encouraged in all aspects of literacy
learning, to explicitly explain and show learning processes or strategies (Brace et al., 2006, p.

Shandar Storm S00117838

EDLA309 Assignment 3

161). It is important for teachers to demonstrate what writers do; to model the process of
consideration and reasoning when finding words, editing sentences or reshaping thoughts.
Students need to see this so they know that a struggle is involved in the process of writing for
good writers (Graves, as cited in Sloan, 2009, p. 48; Routman, 2014, pp.110-111). Learners
are then involved in an oral activity to practice the order of dialogue within a piece of writing.
Students verbally practice the words which are used to identify who is speaking and how they
are expressing the dialogue (Richards & Lassonde, 2011, pp.203-204). They are then placed
into Readers Theatre groups within which they must transfer written text from simple picture
books to indirect and direct dialogue in order to create a Readers Theatre script. Hertzberg
(2012) and Wing Jan (2009) recognise the use of Readers Theatre to teach indirect and direct
speech. This activity meets the individual needs of learners through the choice of pairing one
or more struggling readers with stronger readers to read parts together, or giving lower ability
students parts which repeat or rhyme. Accelerated learners can be extended by writing
expansions on dialogue. As a result all learners, including ESL students, are able to fully
participate (Ryall, 2004, p. 6). Readers Theatre has a variety of oral language benefits such
as the practice of tone and expression as well as connecting talking and listening to reading
and writing (Hertzberg, 2012, p. 134). Finally, a published text is used to demonstrate how
an author writes the layout of dialogue.
This unit ensures that all students have the opportunity to develop knowledge at every
stage of the teaching and learning cycle. The lessons are inclusive and scaffold learning to
the needs of the students, supporting learners of all abilities, including English language
learners (Hertzberg, 2012, p. 127). The explicit teaching of the language features direct and
indirect speech and adjectival phrases, set a strong foundation for further learning. The use of
oral activities then allows the students to practice the language features within a meaningful
context. These and further group and independent activities develop the skills students need
for the writing of these features within an information narrative text.
Word Count: 1,209