Lesson+4+of+10

To develop an understanding of other cultures present in Australian society and how they are contributed to Australian identity || //WS2.10 Produces texts clearly, effectively and accurately, using the sentence structure, grammatical features and puntuation conventions of the text type.//
 * **Unit Topic:** Cultural Identities || **KLA:** HSIE, English |||| **Stage/Year:** Stage 2, Year 4 ||
 * **Lesson Number:** 4/10 ||< **Lesson Topic:** Modal verbs, adverbials, phrases and clauses |||| **Learning Area/s:** English ||
 * **Unit Outcome/Aim:**
 * **Lesson Focus:** To explore the effectiveness of modal verbs and adverbs to enhance students' understanding of the importance of word choice- the higher the modality, the stronger the argument or point of view is. Students will also experiment the effects that words of different modalities have on an audience through cloze sentences from a newspaper editorial. The purpose of this lesson is to expose students to the techniques that writers use to convince readers to accept their point of view. ||
 * **Outcome/s:**

//WS2.13 Discusses how own texts are adjusted to relate to different readers, how they develop the subject matter and how they serve a wide variety of purposes.// |||||| **Indicators:** - explores words with high and low modality and their purpose in sentences to indicate shades of meaning eg. should, ought,could. - adapts methods used by authors to make texts appeal to the reader.

- understands the purpose of why texts presenting an opinion contain words of high modality. ||
 * **Resources:** Laminated words, cloze sentences, table of modal words from Droga & Humphrey (2008, p.61) //(See Appendix 1.1),// Cline template, newspaper article (modified version), overhead projector, x30 A4 sheets of paper with 3 columns for 'High modality', 'Medium modality' and 'Low modality', whiteboard markers, English workbooks ||
 * = **Lesson Outline** ||
 * **Student** || **Teacher** || **Time** || **Resources** ||
 * = **Introduction** ||
 * - Discuss that by finding alternatives to words that show a range of modality, we are able to evoke a strong or weak response.

- Students sit on the floor and listen to other ways in which a writer/composer use so the reader can respond in different ways. Students should find the link between modals and emotive language in that they range from high modality and low modality.

- During the explanation of the cline activity, students understand that they will receive sentences and modal words. They then need to arrange the modals onto a cline from highest to lowest modality. With each set of modal words, students use the sentences to assist their ordering of them on the cline.

- Students work with a partner to experiment with the effectiveness of these words by placing words to fill the gaps in each sentence. Students explore modal verbs first, then modal adjectivals etc.

- Their clines should contain words which evoke a larger response, ones that evoke the least and ones that lie between these two points. || - Revisit the idea that the stronger the emotive language, the larger the impact that this has on the reader.

- Introduce the idea that modal verbs, adverbials, phrases and clauses work similarly to emotive language in that they range from high modality to low modality which causes different levels of impact on the reader.

- Explain to the students that they will receive three groups of sentences from a newspaper editorial with gaps. They will need to insert and play around with the words from the first, second and third sets of modal words, using one for each of the three sentence groups to distinguish which word/phrase/clause has the highest to the lowest modality.

- Arrange the modal verbs, adverbials, clauses and phrases onto a cline from highest to lowest modality. || 12 mins || Cline template

Laminated sets of:
 * Modal verbs
 * Modal adverbials
 * Modal phrases and clauses

Snippets from a newspaper editorial ||
 * = **Teaching strategy/Learning Activity** ||
 * - Students look at the newspaper article in full on the overhead projector and offer responses to fill in the blanks so that the message has the least impact on the reader.

- Come to a class agreement on the words to use.

- Students listen to the reading of the article to feel the effects of the words. Respond to prompt questions asked by the teacher. Discuss responses.

- Students place words used in the column labelled 'Low Modality'.

- Repeat the above to fill in 'High Modality' and 'Medium Modality' columns.

- Students create a statement to highlight their point of view about the topic presented in the newspaper article. The statement must contain a modal verb, adverbial and/or modal clauses and phrases.

- Read sentences to partner and ask them to identify the words that have the least effect and the ones that have the strongest impact. Categorise the words into 'low modality', 'high modality' or 'medium modality' to show understanding of modals. || - Display the article on the overhead projector with the blanks intact. Together with the class, ask them for the words that will have the least impact on an audience.

- After the students have discussed with their partners and responded, ask for a scribe to fill in the blanks.

- Read out loud the newspaper article to the students.

- Ask questions to prompt responses: 1. What do you feel about...

- Ask students to place the words under the heading on the A4 sheet of paper 'Low Modality'.

- Repeat the process with words that come under the heading 'High Modality' and then 'Medium Modality'.

- Place the 'Examples of modality' onto the board. Explain that students will create a statement that uses one word from the 'low modality' list and one from the 'high modality' list. Ask students to write these into their English workbooks.

- They will then read their sentences to their partner without telling them which list their word is from. The partner will then need to record the sentence that had the least effect and which one had the strongest impact. || 30 mins || Overhead projector

Modified version of Resource 3 (newspaper editorial)

Sheet of A4 paper with three columns

Whiteboard markers (not permanent)

Table with 'Examples of modality' //(See Appendix 1.1)//

Students' English workbooks ||
 * = **Concluding Strategy** ||
 * - Students in each activity tells the class their topic and the activity that they did. They repeat their discussion or role play in the Body of the lesson to the class.

- As a class, discuss what effects the use of the modal words had on evoking response from the reader. || - Take the 'Examples of modality' chart off the board.

- As a concluding activity, ask 3-4 students to choose one of their sentences with a modal word and say it out loud to the class. The class has to decide whether or not the statement suggests a strong point of view or a weak one.

- Ask one question or the other: If you thought that __ was not strong enough in this argument, what word would you change it to? If you wanted to evoke a lesser reaction, what word would you change it to? || 8 mins ||  ||
 * **Assessment:**
 * Observations of students made to ensure they are on task and to determine the need for more lessons with a focus on using modal words.
 * To determine whether they understand modality, collect their sentences written up in the Body activity and assess whether modal words are present, if they are used appropriately to make meaning.
 * In the discussions, note the contributions that students make to determine their levels of understanding.
 * Photograph students during group work and annotate images. These photos are then added to student portfolios create demonstrating students progress throughout the unit. ||
 * **Special Considerations:**
 * Explicit teaching and scaffolding needed for activities in the Introduction and Body, particularly for ESL students.
 * For a class of more capable students, the teacher can change the activity in the Body to a debate where students in groups of threes, join with another group of threes and become affirmative and negative teams. They write on sticky notes three points that they can then expand and discuss as a group of six with an emphasis on convincing the other team to believe their point. As a class, the teams can present what they had discussed and through feedback from their peers and the teacher, develop their understanding of modals and their effects. ||
 * **Self-reflection/Evaluation:**
 * Were the students able to show their understanding of the different levels of modality through rearranging the words in the cline activity?
 * Did students find the activities challenging but do-able?
 * Was the timing and pace of the lesson suited to the students' abilities?
 * Could the lesson have been modified so that students could see that emotive language is a part of persuasive language and is used to emphasise a point of view?
 * Were the students engaged in all parts of the lesson? ||