Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Think of the seabirds!

15 minutes

Find Out: Who is Dr Jennifer Lavers?

30 minutes

Take Action: Writing a short biography

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will:

understand how biographical texts can be used to communicate individual stories and inspire action among audiences.
enhance their skills in making language choices that communicate both their understanding of individual stories and the actions and achievements can inspire audiences.

Success criteria:

Students can:

describe and explain the language and structural features of biographies, providing examples of how they can communicate important information about individuals and their achievements.
use biographical language and text structures to write their own biography of Dr Jennifer Lavers, demonstrating their use of language to communicate information.

Tune In: Think of the seabirds!

Step 1

Invite students to look closely at a number of images of seabirds on the Seabirds Stimulus Images Sheet - these birds contribute to coastal ecosystems. Point out to them that these images communicate meaning and that they will be asked to think about what they see and what this makes them think and wonder.

Hot tip: If this is the first time you have done this with the class, explain to students that a 'See-Think-Wonder' visible thinking routine is a visible thinking strategy that helps them to make observations and interpretations about what they see and can help them establish goals for further learning.

Ask students to look carefully at the images and select one that draws their attention. Invite them to individually complete the 'See-Think-Wonder' visible thinking routine in the space on the Student Worksheet.

Note: Depending on the nuances of your class and how familiar they are with this visible thinking routine, you could model an example for them by selecting an image and working through the 'See-Think-Wonder' routine.

Step 2

After students have completed the routine, encourage a few volunteers to share their thoughts and what they wonder about the image. Where possible, facilitate discussion based on student responses. The following questions might help prompt this discussion:

What was something in the image that made you think that way?
Did anybody think something different about this image?
What might that be able to tell you about seabirds/marine ecosystems?

Step 3

Remind students that they have been assessing how still images communicate meaning. Explain that these images all communicate something about the current experiences of seabirds on the world’s coastlines and the work being done by people like Dr Jennifer Lavers to support them.

Find Out: Who is Dr Jennifer Lavers?

Step 1

Start by revising the nature of biographical texts (see previous Finding Out lessons in this unit) with the class. Project the Biographical Writing Factsheet and/or distribute a copy to students. Read through the information with the class and discuss some of the key features of this style of writing.

Step 2

Next, briefly review the language features of reflective texts with the class (see previous Finding Out lessons in this unit). Project the Reflective Writing Factsheet onto the board. Read through the information with the class and discuss some of the key features of this style of writing. Point out to students they will be able to make some notes about each of these while watching (and perhaps re-watching) a video and conducting some further reading.

Introduce the video by explaining that it features Dr Jennifer Lavers reflecting on her experiences, achievements, challenges when monitoring seabird colonies. Dr Jennifer Lavers has dedicated a significant part of the her life to working with seabird colonies through her work as a research scientist at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies and advocating for them and the various issues they face.

Who is Jennifer Lavers? (https://vimeo.com/1056609385/c234845474)

Step 3

After watching the video, invite students to complete the biographical information and reflective language tables on the Student Worksheet that helps them think and note some of the key information about Dr Jennifer Lavers. Prompt students by explaining that this information will form the basis of a written biography the includes Dr Jennifer Lavers’ own self-reflection.

Step 4

After students have completed the tables, facilitate a brief discussion with the class about the biographical information they have noted. Students might refer to some of Dr Jennifer’s motivations or the concerns she expresses about plastic pollution.

Take Action Writing a short biography

Step 1

Project the Valerie Taylor Biography as an example biography and read through this with the class. While reading through, ask students to identify some of the features of biographies they can identify, such as Valerie's accomplishments, overall goal and contributions, as well as the formality of language and use of third person, past and present tense and descriptive language.

Step 2

Invite students to use the space on the Student Worksheet to plan, draft and revise a short biography of 250-300 words about Dr Jennifer Lavers. They can use the example they have just read to get some ideas of structure, though encourage them to find some further information through research or from the video that was watched in the lesson. Point out that the emphasis of this biography should be on using some of the reflective elements from the lesson.

Remind the class that a good biography draws on something interesting or engaging about the person to ‘hook’ the reader, so they should focus on what aspect of Dr Jennifer Lavers’ ‘story’ that they find most interesting or that they feel would be most interesting for readers.

Encourage students to complete a self and peer edit of their work using the Editing Checklist. The Jennifer Lavers Biography might also provide students with some further information to refine their biography during editing.

Step 3

Have students display their biographies around the room and facilitate a gallery walk, by having students quietly and safely walk around reading each other's biography before bringing the class back to identify and discuss some of the key features and content.

Learning extension: Students can enhance their biographies of Dr Jennifer Lavers, using images and some visual design/creative layout skills to make it a feature biography. These could be printed and displayed around the classroom.

Learning opportunity: Students can reflect on their experience/s and explain or write a short paragraph about the role of biographies and reflections in communicating information. Further understanding would be demonstrated by students who articulate the value and learning that can come from reflection. Linking this to the experience and information about Dr Jennifer Lavers and her work with seabird colonies and plastic pollution would indicate some stronger knowledge and thinking about the connection between language, communication and various issues.

Reflection

Invite students to complete the reflection activity on their student worksheet. This is a short 3-2-1 activity that encapsulates their thinking and learning at the end of the lesson. This can be about the topic of biographical writing or blurbs, about the skills and thinking routines, or about the topic of seabirds and Dr Jennifer Lavers. Students are asked to reflect on what they have learnt and participated in this lesson and identify:

3 things they have learnt
2 things that were interesting
1 question they now have

Blue - 'Jennifer Lavers' Reflective Writing

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will:

Success criteria:

Students can:

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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