Artefact #1: Lesson plan

Creativity and Cross-curricular emphasis

Date:
Time:
Lesson:
KLA:

2 lessons (45 minutes each)

The Tin Forest (Beginning, Middle, End) + Grassy head creation
English, Science and Visual Arts

CURRICULUM LINKS
Curriculum Outcome/s
ENe-4A demonstrates developing skills and strategies to read, view and comprehend short predictable
texts on familiar topics in different media and technologies
ENe-8B demonstrates emerging skills and knowledge of texts to read and view, and shows developing
awareness of purpose, audience and subject matter
ENe-11D responds to and composes simple texts about familiar aspects of the world and their own
experiences
ENe-12E demonstrates awareness of how to reflect on aspects of their own and others learning
STe-7NE observes, using their senses, how daily and seasonal changes in the environment affect them
and other living
STe-8NE identifies the basic needs of living things
VAES1.1 Makes simple pictures and other kinds of artworks about things and experiences.
VAES1.2 Experiments with a range of media in selected forms.
Lesson link to previous teaching and learning experiences
v Student will already have previous knowledge in regards to identifying beginning, middle, end
sequence of a book
v Students will be aware of living and non-living things
v Students will know how to glue

Indicators from the syllabus:

v discuss familiar written and visual texts
v identify some differences between imaginative and informative texts (ACELY1648)
v Living things have basic needs, including food and water. (ACSSU002): describe what plants and
animals, including humans, need to stay alive and healthy, eg food, water and air
v investigates stories and the features of fantasy and imaginative characters derived from their
experience, imaginings, artworks, cartoons, illustrated books and other books, videos/films, and
video games
v explores simple construction techniques with boxes and other sculptural materials and the
malleable qualities of playdough, plasticine, and/or clay by pinching, rolling, joining, incising,
modelling, forming

PREPARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PRIOR LEARNING/PREREQUISITE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE
STUDENT WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS TO PARTICIPATE
ACADEMIC

BEHAVIOUR

PHYSICAL

v Already aware of and understand sequencing in a book beginning, middle and

end
v Aware of living and non-living things . understanding that plants are a living
things
v Be able to sit quietly and work as a team when breaking down the sequence of the
book as a class
v Students must be able to work individually when creating 3 picture frames
v Be sensible using interactive whiteboard
v Be sensible when creating grassy head - using gloves etc

v Be able to physically sit on the floor

v Able to take part in creating their grassy head holding cup and adding seeds and
soil
v Able to cover cup in foil

MANAGEMENT
RESOURCES

v The Tin Forest by Helen Ward

v Interactive whiteboard -- https://vimeo.com/36088583
v Beginning/middle/end picture frame sheet - pencils
For the grassy head:
o

ROOM/SPACE
ORGANISATION

BEHAVIOUR
MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES

v
v
v
v

Gloves, Grass seeds, Foam cups, stockings, Foil, Decorations, Water

Start at floor for class discussion

Move to desk to complete picture frames
Teacher calls out 4 students at a time to make grassy head
All students decorate their tin cup at their desk individually

v Same strategies as a normal school day follow behaviour plan

v Use peg system when needed
v Positive reinforcement for neat work, working independantly/quitely, trying their
best

DELIVERY
LESSON THEME, PURPOSE AND LESSON OVERVIEW
The purpose of this lesson is to identify the students knowledge in understanding the beginning, middle and
end sequencing of a book. The students already have some idea of the order of a book/ identifying start and
end of the book. Although, for this lesson, students will be particularly focusing on creating a drawing
representation of the 3 main section of the book. They will create their picture frames, then will move on in
the second lesson sequence to creating their own Grassy head to symbolise the same sequence as the
book starting with a Tin Forest, and moving towards a lavish garden (shown through the growth of the
Grassy head).
INTRODUCTORY TEACHING/LEARNING ACTIVITY (acquisition)
(Interactive teacher modelling and student focused practice with immediate error correction)
BEFORE READING - Introduction to the book
v Look at the front and back covers of the book and identify the author, illustrator and title of the book.

Predict the contents of the text using the title, illustrations and blurb as a guide.
Examine the inside cover of the book for author information, dedication, etc.
Ask questions such as:
What do you think the text will be about?
Do you think this is a realistic or unrealistic text (informative/nonfiction imaginative/fiction)?
Why...?
Picture walk of the text. Unpack new vocabulary, clarify understandings, draw on prior experiences
and background knowledge of the students.

DURING READING

The Tin Forest book read via VIMEO https://vimeo.com/36088583

v First reading = let the video play uninterrupted

AFTER READING
v Ask the students: What happened at the BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END of the story?
v USE OF TECHNOLOGY: Teacher can pause frames of the Vimeo reading to write words/descriptions
on the video using the interactive whiteboard Students choose 3 frames that best demonstrate the
beginning, middle and end.
v Ask questions such as:

What words would you use to desribe:

o
o
o

the beginnning of the book

the middle of the book
the end of the book ?

v LINK TO CREATIVE ARTS: Speak about the pictures found in the book and the specific colour
progression throughout the book. What colours do we see at the beginning, middle and end?
v What was your favourite part of the text? Describe it.

STUDENT PRACTICE TEACHING/LEARNING ACTIVITIES (fluency, guided & independent

Individually, students complete their own picture frames of the beginning, middle, end of the book
Students can then label their pictures to show the progression of the book

* Link to Creative Arts: Students are to be selective when choosing their colours when completing their
drawings * -- For example, using darker colours to demonstrate the beginning of the text, and bright
colours towards the end.

Lesson #2:
Link to KLAs = Science and Creative arts
o
o
o
o
o
o

Students refer to their picture frames and link to science/Creative arts sequence to follow
Students talk about how grass is a living thing and discuss ideas about how grass grows
Students look at the process of grass growing the importance of seeds, water, sunlight, temperature
etc
Students then take part in creating their very own Grassy head (linking their previous English
sequence, with the following science/Creative arts lesson)
Students create their Tin cup which symbolises the start of the book cup decorated in foil and with
other decorations
Students then create the Grassy head, and continue to monitor its growth over the next week taking
responsibility for watering their grassy head to ensure that it grows.

LESSON CLOSURE
(eg. review content, student sharing/feedback, marking)
Students refer back to class, demonstrating their 3 picture frame and their grassy head creation
Students verbally in pairs discuss the sequence of the text from beginning, middle and end. They also
describe how the cup links with the text The Tin Forest
Class discussion is had in regards to enjoyments, challenges, things students may not understand etc

ASSESSMENT
Observation notes/anecdotal records to be maintained as ongoing assessment of learning.
Differentiated reading response activity examples:

draw the beginning, middle and end of the story using the text for support
draw the beginning, middle and end of the story
draw a story map, adding more detail possibly writing.

EVALUATION
v Students were able to successfully identify the beginning, middle, end sequence of the text
v Students had fabulous idea of using lead pencil to represtnt the tin at the beginning o the textthen
using coloured pencils to show the change throughout the text
v Students were able to successfully link the English learning, to the creativity of making the grassy head
v More time/focus on HOW the grassy head will grow/ its significance would have been beneficial
v Overall, students engagement and CREATIVITY shone throughout this cross curricular lesson sequence