Teacher(s

Steven Neal

Subject
group
discipline

Unit title

The Arrival: Immigration, Culture, and the Visual

Experience

MYP year

and

English as a Second Language

Year 4

Unit
(hrs)

duration

6
week
s

Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit

Key concept
Perspective
Creativity

Related concept(s)
Self-Expression
Theme
Genres

Global context
Personal and Cultural Expression
Identities and Relationships

Statement of inquiry

Students will be able to identify, explore, and discuss intercultural experiences and challenges through
the examination of the visual-based text, The Arrival.
Inquiry questions
Factual: What are the living conditions and experiences of immigrants like?
Conceptual: How can visual art convey meaning on the same level as language?
Debatable: Is visual representations as effective or emotive as linguistic representations?
Text-Specific:

Does Shaun Tans The Arrival provide a detailed and understandable experience for readers to understand cross-cultural
interactions and immigration?

How does the lack of written words improve upon or detract from the text?

What is the narrative that I constructed in my head as we read The Arrival in class? Is it different or similar to my peers?

Objectives

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Summative assessment

Criterion A:
i Analyze the content, context,
language, structure, technique, and style
of text
ii Analyze the effects of the creators
choices on the audience
iii Justify opinions and ideas, using
examples, explanations, and terminology
Criterion B:
i Employ organizational structures that
serve the context and intention
ii Organize opinions and ideas in a
sustained, coherent, and logical manner
Criterion C:
i Produces texts that demonstrate
insight, imagination, and sensitivity while
exploring and reflecting critically on new
perspectives and ideas arising from
personal engagement and the creative
process
ii Make stylistic choices in terms of
linguistic, literary, and visual devices
demonstrating awareness of impact and
audience

Outline of summative assessment task(s)

including assessment criteria:

Relationship between summative assessment

task(s) and statement of inquiry:

The students will be complete a longer

written narrative essay in which they share
an intercultural experience that made
confused them or made them
uncomfortable. The essay will require
students to use the grammatical,
syntactical, and thematic knowledge and
skills that they developed prior to and while
reading The Arrival to complete this
assessment. Additionally, students will be
required to utilize a visual medium to
supplement their written work in a similar
intention as Shaun Tan.

This assessment directly correlates to the

statement of inquiry because it engages
the students in a reflection of their
intercultural experiences to better
understand the emotions and characters
in The Arrival. The assessment requires
the students to utilize their developing
language skills to convey their
experiences and standpoints on the topic.
The visual component that is added in the
assessment serves the curricular purpose
of engaging in an exploration of the
validity and power of visual art on a
specific audience.

The students writing will be assessed on

two of the MYP Criterion for Language and
Literature: Criterion B Organization and
Criterion C Producing a Text. The
students will receive personalized feedback
in the form of a complete IB rubric and a
one-on-one conference with the instructor.

As an overarching purpose, the students

will have to develop their language skills
throughout the course of the unit and
course to help acquire the English
language. The students who participate in
this unit, its assessment, and the overall
course will develop both Basic
Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
and Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency (CALP) language.

Criterion D:

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ii Write and speak in a register and style

that serve the context and intention
iii Use correct grammar, syntax, and
punctuation
iv Spell, write, and pronounce with
accuracy

Approaches to learning (ATL)

IB ATL CATEGORY:
Communication

MYP ATL CLUSTER:

Communication Skills

SPECIFIC ATL SKILL:

Exchanging thoughts,
messages, and information
effectively through
interaction

SKILL LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

Reading, writing, and

using language to gather
and communicate
information

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Give and receive meaningful

feedback
Use intercultural understanding
to interpret communication
Use appropriate forms of
writing for different purposes
and audiences
Negotiate ideas and knowledge
with peers and teachers
Read critically and for
comprehension
Make inferences and draw
conclusions
Write for different purposes
Preview and skim texts to build
understanding
Organize and depict
information logically

Self-Management

Affective Skills

Managing state of mind

Reflection

Considering what has

been learned

Thinking

Creativity and Innovation

The skills of invention and

developing things and
ideas that never existed
before.

Transfer

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Utilizing skills and

knowledge in multiple
contexts

Mindfulness
o Practice focus and
concentration
o Practice strategies to
overcome distractions
Self-Motivation
o Practice positive
thinking
Resilience
o Practice bouncing
back after adversity,
mistakes, and failures
Consider content
Consider personal learning
strategies
Keep a journal to record
reflections
Consider multiple alternatives,
including those that might be
unlikely or impossible
Use lateral thinking to make
unexpected connections
Apply existing knowledge to
generate new ideas, products
or processes
Create original works or ideas
Use visible thinking
Propose metaphors and
analogies
Inquire in different contexts to
gain a different perspective
Compare conceptual

understanding across multiple

subject groups and disciplines
Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry
Content
Personal Narrative Writing and
Speaking Activities
Building Personal
Immigration/Cultural Narratives
Interpretation Forum
Emotional Analysis of Primary
Characters
Lessons on Reading an Image
Grammar and Syntax Lessons
o Past Tense
o Past Progressive Tense
o Creative Writing Strategies

Learning process
Learning experiences and teaching strategies

Personal Language Journals

Individualized Feedback on both Content and Language Use
Visual Analysis of Various Images in The Arrival
Creative Writing
One-on-One Conferences on Language Development and Thematic
Understanding
Video Recorded Lessons
Formative assessment
Personal Language Journals Reflective Writings and Creative Narratives
Reflective Writings and Discussion on Language Development
One-on-One Language Conferences
Differentiation

Language Instruction Based on Linguistic and Cultural Data

Extended Due Dates
Language Support Services via Electronic and Personal Means

Resources

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Attached resources

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Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

Prior to teaching the unit
Students are English Language Learners
with a variety of English language
proficiency levels. Some students may
need additional language support
services.
Students may not have experience reading
a graphic novel like Shaun Tans The
Arrival. A lesson needs to be developed to
teach how to read a graphic novel.
If completed within the context of a
mainstream English Language Arts
classroom, the English Language Learners
might need to have additional
accommodated instruction.

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

During teaching
Implement common English as a Second
Language teaching strategies.

Comprehensible input on written

assignments and verbal
instructions. The language needs to
be accessible for the student.
Visual accommodations help
improve language retention and
understanding.
Build off of students prior
knowledge and experiences. Make
connections based on language
cognates if they exist.

After teaching the unit

While contemplating and evaluating
assessment, keep in mind the students
language proficiency. Make sure to not
base your evaluation off of a single
standard of language use.
Make student feedback personal, and if
possible, deliver the feedback in a one-onone conference.
Use the linguistic and cultural data
produced during the unit to inform future
classroom instruction.