1. Designing, Teaching and Learning, and Assessment Cycle
PowerPoint to support
Designing, Teaching and Learning, and Assessment Cycle
for Year 9 Science unit about Algal Blooms
May be adapted for a ‘flipped’ classroom - that is for providing students access to information input prior to the ‘lesson’ in an electronic form.
For the full unit of work, refer to > EALD Teaching and Learning> Designing, Teaching and Learning, and Assessment Cycle

2. Discussion stimulator.
Use photos; graphs; data charts; artefacts to stimulate talk. Students talk to learn. Teacher’s job is to guide the talk into subject specific genre and language form.
Suggestion: add audio that engages students to think if working on their own or to discuss if working with a partner or study group.
“So what is this? Not just a pretty picture but a living organism.

3. What do plants need? Worksheet 1.
“So if it is a living organism of plant origin what does it require? Use the first worksheet to write down your answers

4. What do plants need? Worksheet 1.
Water
Light
Oxygen
Nutrients (food)
Nitrogen
“Did you get these answers”

5. What's at stake - extensive eutrophication (algal growth fueled by nutrients running off agricultural fields and from urban areas) spreading into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.  Intact ecosystems, including mangrove swamps, help prevent eutrophication and the problems it caused.
“You will be reading a text about this biological phenomenon. What words do you think the text might have in it? They can be everyday topic words as well as science words. Write them down before going to the next slide”.

6. Words and Questions Organism Algae Poison Dying fish Slime
Smelly water
“Did you write down some of these words? Some are technical words some are everyday words
Now try to come up with some questions you think the text will answer for us?”

7. Words and Questions When does this happen? Why does this happen?
What are the causes?
What are the consequences?
“Are these the sorts of questions you asked?”

8. Eutrophication or Algal Blooms Text Knowledge
Ordering the text :
put the cut up pieces of text in order by discussing the initial words in each paragraph
Decide where to put the diagram
If the resource has been given to the students prior to the lesson adapt the following suggested script.
“Before we read the text I am giving you the text which I have cut up. Can you put the text together in the order that you think the paragraphs might go. Where are you going to put the diagram in the text?”
You may be tempted to think that this ‘game’ is wasting time and that the students should be reading the text and learning the information.
This approach is extending students engagement with a text because in their own time, with a partner or in a group the task is achievable. There is not a definitive right answer and the responsibility for coming up with an answer is shared. It is also a non-threatening way to introduce a text that is highly technical and which students need to spend some time on in order to build the concepts and the highly specialised language to describe those concepts.

9. Word Knowledge Examining some of the language Worksheet 1
The number of algae reaches a critical point and as the ‘bloom’ causes the light and oxygen to decrease, they die.
They reach a critical point and as the ‘bloom’ causes the light and oxygen to decrease, they die.
This activity can be done by students on their own if they have done previous work on identifying processes and participants.
“In the first sentence underline (in green) the verbs/processes”
“In the second sentence underline the noun groups (in red)”.

10. Word Knowledge Examining some of the language Worksheet 1
The number of algae reaches a critical point and as the ‘bloom’ causes the light and oxygen to decrease, they die.
They reach a critical point and as the ‘bloom’ causes the light and oxygen to decrease, they die.
‘Did you identify these? Add these to worksheet 1.”

11. Word Knowledge Writing in our own words Worksheet 1 page 2
Have a go at writing some sentences

12. Word Knowledge Writing in our own words Worksheet 1 page 2
There is less light in the water because the large numbers of dead and decaying algae have blocked out the light.
There is less oxygen in the water because the bacteria have used it up to decompose the dead algae.
“Did you form some sentences like this?”

13. Word Knowledge
Finding technical language in the text for spoken-like language
Worksheet 2
The previous 12 slides will help students to prepare for the work to be done in class or they can be used in an introduction to the topic in class.
If students are good readers using worksheet 2 they should be able to do this exercise in groups with just a little support from the teacher.

14. Grammar Knowledge Unpacking the meaning in long sentences
However in recent years the reduced flow of the River Murray, due to man made barriers such as weirs and the removal of water from the river for irrigation, and the addition of nutrients from agribusiness has meant that sections of the river have succumbed to algal blooms.
This text needs to be deconstructed in class. His activity is not student focussed and needs to be conducted by the teacher.
“Can you find the verbs in this text. What are they?”

15. Grammar Knowledge
However in recent years the reduced flow of the River Murray, due to man made barriers such as weirs and the removal of water from the river for irrigation, and the addition of nutrients from agribusiness has meant // that sections of the river have succumbed to algal blooms.
Look at the verbs in green. What tense? Present perfect. Typical of explanations that are presenting consequences/outcomes of a process.
The main idea is: The reduced flow of the River Murray has resulted in algal blooms.
But the author has packed a lot more information in to this sentence to explain why this has happedned.

16. Hierarchy of meanings Grammar Knowledge
However,
in recent years
the reduced flow of the River Murray,
due to man made barriers
such as weirs
and (due to) the removal of water from the river
for irrigation,
and (due to )the addition of nutrients
from agribusiness
has meant
that sections of the river have succumbed to algal blooms.
Being able to deconstruct the sentence allows you to ask the right questions of students to interrogate their understanding of the text.
When is this happening?
What is it that is happening in the River Murray?
What has this meant? What does succumbed mean?
Why is the River Murray flowing less? What are the three causes?
Give an example of a barrier.
The main idea is: The reduced flow of the River Murray has resulted in algal blooms.
Why is water removed from the river?
Where do the nutrients come from?
What happens if I change the verb ‘has meant’ to ‘has caused’ ? Answer: “Has caused sections of the river to succumb to algal blooms”
‘Playing around’ with the grammar like this helps students internalise the meaning and gives them greater opportunity to make their own language choices.

17. Grammar Knowledge However, (Text connective)
in recent years (time circumstance)
the reduced flow of the River Murray, (long noun group)
due to man made barriers
such as weirs (example)
and (due to) the removal of water from the river
for irrigation, (example)
and (due to )the addition of nutrients
from agribusiness (example)
has meant
that sections of the river have succumbed to algal blooms.
Students take notes at this point.

18. Text deconstruction Word Knowledge
Moving lexically dense language to more spoken-like language
Worksheet 3
This activity needs to be initiated by the teacher who then leaves confident students to work on their own or in their learning groups and who then moves around to support others.
This allows the students to put the concepts into everyday language. They are then more likely to remember the concepts. Understanding the concept in everyday language is a pre-requisite for explaining the concepts in highly technical language.

19. Text Knowledge Check understanding of Algal Blooms
Put the short sentences in order to create a
sequential explanation
This exercise could be ‘flipped’ by providing the students with a jumbled list of the sentences.
“Put the short sentences in order to create a sequential explanation”

20. Excess nutrients enter waterways.
Check understanding of Algal Blooms with sequential explanation Text and Grammar knowledge
Excess nutrients enter waterways.
Nutrients promote plant growth, especially algae.
Algal bloom occurs.
Algae die and are decomposed by bacteria.
Decomposition of algae increases biological oxygen demand.
There is a drop in the oxygen levels.
Fish macro invertebrates and other aquatic life forms die.
Point out verbs
Highlight passive voice point 4. Reorder sentence starting with Bacteria, eg Bacteria decompose the dead algae/the algae that have died.
Ask why of each sentence starting from last sentence: This supports students to turn this sequential explanation into a causal explanation.
The teacher can also investigate word knowledge with a question such as “What is another word for demand?” eg Need

21. Check understanding of Algal Blooms with causal explanation
Fish, macro invertebrates and other aquatic life forms die
because
there is a drop in the oxygen levels.
This drop in oxygen levels is caused by
the bacteria that need the oxygen to grow and decompose the dead algae.
Algae die when there are too many of them and this is called an algal bloom.
This happens when excess nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates, which promote plant growth especially algae, enter waterways.
‘Reverse’ the explanation. Use Because and other causal language.

22. Check understanding of Algal Blooms with causal explanation Text Knowledge
Fish macro invertebrates and other aquatic life forms die because there is a drop in the oxygen levels. This drop in oxygen levels is caused by the bacteria that need the oxygen to grow and decompose the dead algae. Algae die when there are too many of them and this is called an algal bloom. This happens when excess nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates, which promote plant growth especially algae, enter waterways
Point out text structure.
“Can you see the zig-zag pattern of the causal explanation? This is a typical construction of this type of text or genre.
The rheme of the previous sentence is picked up as the theme of the following sentence”.

23. Check understanding of Algal Blooms with causal explanation Grammar Knowledge
Using conjunction ‘because’ to join two simple sentences - pkt labelled ‘Because’ has four sentences
Using conjunction ‘if’ to join two simple sentences - pkt labelled ‘If’ has six sentences
Again this activity can be ‘flipped’ depending on the ability of the students or the progress through the cycle.

24. Linking two clauses in a ‘causal’ relationship to make a complex sentence
Fast moving rivers do not have a decomposition build up because the current washes away decomposing organic matter.
Because the current washes away decomposing organic matter, fast moving rivers do not have a decomposition build up.
Because the decomposing algae use up the oxygen// other organisms such as fish die.
Answers

25. Linking two clauses in a ‘conditional’ relationship to make a complex sentence
If these bodies of water are nutrient rich, they have abundant plant and animal life.
If there is enough light and warmth and the water is not moving organisms such as algae grow and ‘bloom’
If there is a drop in oxygen levels fish, macro invertebrates and other aquatic life forms die
Answers

26. Word Knowledge - Cloze Procedure
What Technical Vocab has been learnt?
Worksheets A and B
You must sit opposite each other and talk to each other in order to fill in the blank spaces.
Students need to sit across from each other so that they are required to talk and not look at each other’s sheets.
Nominalisations and other technical terms can be left out
Verbs in base form (to do) then changed to passive voice and correct tense
Missing words can be listed on worksheet
Can work as a group or in pairs

27. Tenants of our Pedagogy
Assessment
Assessment as: involves students creating their own checklists and rubrics; giving feedback to their peers, particularly in oral tasks
Assessment for: the marking system the teacher uses on draft and formative work and how the teacher conferences the students to edit their work
Assessment of: reproduction of the task (oral or written) that the teacher has modelled and scaffolded
Reminder slide for teacher about types of assessment throughout the DTLA Cycle.