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Attitudes:
● 3-4 Demonstrate positive attitudes for the study of science and for the application of science in responsible ways.
Essential Question
What is the big, overarching question guiding your unit plan?
Inquiry Questions: What is a “structure”? What makes a structure stable? What are the differences between structures? What kind of
materials can I use to build a structure? What makes one material different from another?
The Alberta K-6 Science Program of Study states in their rationale that the curriculum is designed to stimulate children’s “natural curiosity”
(Alberta Government, 1996). The program engages children in the inquiry process and problem-solving to help them confidently find
Adapted from Wiggins, Grant & J. McTighe (1998)
answers to their own questions, and to be prepared for the ever-changing world (Alberta Government, 1996). My purpose in this unit is to
not only help English native-speaking students access these educational goals, but learners of the language as well. This unit will engage all
learners through many hands-on activities that teach the basic concepts of architecture and design.
Alberta Education. (1996). Programs of Study: Science Grades 1-6 [Website] Retrieved from
http://www.learnalberta.ca/ProgramOfStudy.aspx?lang=en&ProgramId=379983#483809
Alberta Government. (2003). Supporting English Language Learners [Website]. Retrieved from
https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/search.html
Ball, J. A. (2018). What Makes a Building Strong. South Egremont, MA: Red Chair
Coelho, E. (2004a). Chapter 2: An inclusive classroom environment. In Adding English: A guide to teaching in multilingual classrooms
(pp. 42-43). Toronto, ON: Pippin Publishing Corporation.
Coelho, E. (2004b). Chapter 10: Creating a supportive language learning environment. In Adding English: A guide to teaching in
multilingual classrooms (p. 186). Toronto, ON: Pippin Publishing Corporation.
Ritchie, S. (2011). Look at That Building! A first book of structures. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press Ltd.
Wesley, A. (2000). Science and Technology: Stability. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Materials:
Ball, J. A. (2018). What Makes a Building Strong. South Egremont, MA: Red Chair
Ritchie, S. (2011). Look at That Building! A first book of structures. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press Ltd.
Special Snowflake. (2017, Jan 30). The Cutest Therapy Dog Ever [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkUUTxqi3WU
Wesley, A. (2000). Science and Technology: Stability. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Stability: 3 cardboard tubes of the (short, meidum, tall) of the same thickness, and a box lid
Balance: 4 spools, 6 masses (20 g each), and heavy cardboard from a packing box (20 cm x 20 cm)
Shapes: bristol board strips (10 cm x 2 cm), paper fasteners, a paper punch, and scissors
Dream Dog House Project: Materials will be determined by the school budget and what is already available in the school’s resources.
Pre-Unit Rationale of Language Teaching: Methods, ELL Strands, Differentiation and Correction
All language teaching methods are used in this unit to some extent. The Direct Method is used when introducing new vocabulary words in
lessons through activities such as repetition and drilling. The TPR Method will be heavily used because of the physical nature of labs in
interacting with the lesson material. There will be more speaking and listening in lab work than reading and writing, thus the Communicative
Approach is used when demonstrating learning and working with others. Lastly, because this unit is for a science class, there will be a strong
emphasis on science visuals, and subject-specific words usage in this class. Hence, Content-Based Instruction is the overarching method for
this unit. English will be treated as a tool for learning the science curriculum and will be evaluated like so.
Though communication is heavily emphasized in this unit, writing and reading are not overlooked. Rather than being treated separately,
reading and writing are woven in while teaching the content. Writing is involved in every single lab. Students are expected to write down
their own hypotheses and then record the experiment results using subject-specific words. Newcomers can have access to a dictionary and
fill in a hypothesis sentence frame. Newcomers could also be paired with someone in the class who speak their home language for labs. If
there is no one who speaks their language, pairing them with a friendly native English-speaker classmate will still be beneficial (Coelho,
2004b, p. 186). Writing is also used in labs where students are asked to identify concepts and write complete sentences about them. Research
shows that having a strong foundation in one’s primary language is beneficial in language learning (Coelho, 2004c, pp. 167-168). Newcomers
can identify concepts by writing them in their own language first and then with the help of Google Translate or a dictionary, translate their
writing to English in their best possible ability. Each time a new word or concept is taught, students are expected to write it down and refer
back to them in their labs. Newcomers can be provided with an essential vocabulary list with definitions in English and their home language
at the start of the unit to equip them for the tasks in the unit. Thus, reading is utilized as students are expected to review their notes first
before asking the teacher for help.
The summative assignment is a creative, and open-ended summative project. It should be able to engage all learners because students will
Adapted from Wiggins, Grant & J. McTighe (1998)
become familiar with Norbert by viewing a short introductory video about the dog in class, and the project itself can take on any shape and
design as long as the prototype of the dream house fulfills the requirements of the assignment, which is to design a stable house that can
withstand a reasonable amount of external force. A reasonable amount of materials for the project will be provided by the teacher, and the
assignment will be completed in class.
Corrections on student error will be immediate if it pertains to the scientific concepts taught in class because it is the teacher’s duty to meet
the science curricular outcomes. For example, errors made in lab tasks and errors in student understanding of concepts taught in class will be
addressed immediately by the teacher in a respectful manner. Corrections on student error in language use, on the other hand, will be
minimal because students should be encouraged to speak as much as possible. Research has shown that over-correction can cause students
to become anxious and reluctant in speaking a language, and will hinder their development in that language (Coelho, 2004, pp. 172-175).
Students will only be corrected in their language if it is 1) a major error that will negatively affect their social interaction among peers, 2) an
error that they have made repeatedly. Furthermore, being correct in language use does not have the same priority as being correct in one’s
understanding of the scientific concepts being taught in a science class.
-as a way to start your theme, show your students different pictures of structures like building and bridges - ones that show some of the
concepts you're going to teach like stability.
-elicit the names of structures and try to elicit some vocabulary or concepts to check what the students already know.
-have a game of Jenga with the students - maybe some words like stable, unstable, balance will emerge
-use Lego
https://le-www-live-s.legocdn.com/sc/media/files/primary/engb%20campaign%20elementary%20general%20-
%20why%20teachers%20use%20le%20resources%20-%20testimonial%20stuart%20swann-d62817d3269f98121cc9c787b6f16d98.pdf
I have never used it but I have heard of teachers using it successfully.