Abbey Woonton

Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson: English

Specific Topic of Lesson: Writing Paragraphs
Year Level/s: 8
Lesson length: 60 minutes

Lesson Context
This lesson is part of a unit on discursive expositions where students will write their
own discursive exposition as the summative assessment piece. Introductory
preceding lessons of the unit will have defined expository writing and its uses, which
type the unit will focus on (discursive), examples showing characteristics of the
format, key discursive writing techniques, and some other clarifying information such
as the difference between fact and opinion. The lesson immediately prior to this one
will have covered the overall structure of exposition writing (introduction, three
paragraphs, conclusion) and some planning using graphic organisers. The rest of
the unit will focus on the writing process.

Learning Objectives
This lessons learning objectives are based on the following Year 8 English
Curriculum content descriptor and elaboration:
Experiment with text structures and language features to refine and clarify ideas to
improve the effectiveness of students own texts.
experimenting with text structures and language features, for example
paragraph order and content, language choices or mode of delivery, to refine
and clarify ideas and to improve text effectiveness.
(ACARA, 2017)

Essential Questions
Why is it that written information is sometimes hard to understand?
So what makes a paragraph really clear and convincing for the audience?
How can information be organised within paragraphs to ensure clarity and audience
understanding?

Understand
Students will understand
that clear writing follows a
structure to guide
audience understanding.
Know Do
Students will know that Students will be able to
the acronym PEEL organise information into a
means Point, Evidence, logical sequenced
Explanation, Link. paragraph using the PEEL
paragraph model.
Students will know that
the PEEL paragraph
model is a clear way to
structure written
paragraphs.

Pre-assessment of Student Readiness

This lessons pre-assessment of student readiness (below) is a formal strategy;
students would have been allocated time to complete the pre-assessment task at
some point in the week prior to this lesson, knowing that it was specifically in
preparation for the upcoming section of the unit rather than for any kind of grade.
The pre-assessment is in the form of a Quiz consisting of short answer questions in
response to a written prompt that is directly related to the lessons learning
objectives. The prompt is a paragraph with the sentences in an incorrect order, and
students will answer questions about what is wrong with the paragraph and how it
might be fixed.

Read this paragraph carefully and answer the questions below

If I was able to upgrade my body, I would then be able to play longer, achieve more
career highlights and earn more money. Firstly, I would choose to upgrade my body
so that I could extend the period of peak performance as a sportsperson and be
able to prolong my career in the sporting industry. In order to achieve more in the
game and my career, also to earn enough to provide for a substantial amount of the
rest of my life, upgrading my body would be an essential decision for my success in
the my chosen career path. A recent study by the BBC found that the average age
of peak performance for a sportsperson is 27.6 years, with the average age of
retirement being 34.

1. Is this paragraph clear to read?

2. What is wrong with the way the information is presented in this paragraph?
3. How might the problem be fixed?
4. Have you heard of or used PEEL paragraphs at all?

Tiers determined from pre-assessment

Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
Students who have Students who have Students who have
Indicated they have no Indicated they have no Indicated they have some
prior knowledge of the prior knowledge of the prior knowledge of the
PEEL paragraph model PEEL paragraph model PEEL paragraph model
BUT demonstrated some
Demonstrated minimal understanding of how to Demonstrated that they
understanding of how to organise written have some understanding
organise written information into a logical of how to organise written
information in a logical sequence information into a logical
sequence sequence
Indicated they have prior
knowledge of the PEEL
model BUT have not
demonstrated
understanding of how to
organise written
information into a logical
sequence

Tasks to facilitate growth

Task for Tier 1 Task for Tier 2 Task for Tier 3
Students will arrange pre- Students will arrange pre- Students will locate
written paragraphs by provided information into information on a topic and
colour coding according paragraphs according to write that information into a
to the PEEL model. the PEEL model.
Lesson Sequence
Warm up task
Students silently and independently think
about the words of the PEEL acronym in
relation to paragraphs and define the
words as best they can.
(Roll to be taken during warm up task)
~5 mins
Hook
Discuss the three essential questions
with the class.
Tell students the lessons learning
objectives and how they relate to the
unit/assignment.
~5 mins
Teacher instruction
Explain the PEEL paragraph model with
examples by going through a detailed
PowerPoint with additional YouTube
video.
Students contribute to this with their
definitions of Point, Evidence,
Explanation, and Link from the warm up
task.
~15 mins
Exploration
Students will participate in activities
according to their readiness (determined
through pre-assessment) at different
stations within the classroom. The three
stations align with the three learning
tasks outlined above.
Students work at the stations either as a
team or independently and move to
stations of higher complexity as they
master the concepts and gain
confidence. The teacher is to observe
groups and provide small group
instruction where required or requested.
~25 mins
paragraph using the PEEL
model that is more
substantial than four
sentences in length.
Explanatory Notes
The warm up task is designed to prompt
thinking about the lessons content in a
way that is accessible to all students
regardless of the Tier they have been
allocated. All students can define the
words Point, Evidence, Explanation to
varying degrees.
Discussing the essential questions
should guide students towards the key
Understanding of the lesson and signal
the importance of understanding rather
than mere acquisition of knowledge.
Outlining the learning objectives aims to
give purpose to the lesson.
Students will be taken through the core
content in relation to the Know
component of the learning objectives.
Information will be delivered visually and
orally in order to achieve maximum
comprehension. Instruction must be
slowed down so that all students have
ample opportunity to read/hear the
information and to clarify and discuss
points (this is particularly important in
relation to the YouTube video which has
a lot to unpack).
This is the differentiated part of the
lesson whereby all students are given
the opportunity to do tasks that will
facilitate growth in their learning.
It is imperative that students know that
they can, and need to, move between
stations depending of how they are
progressing. Students are to move to
stations of higher complexity as they
learn and gain confidence throughout the
lesson.
Wrapping up
Whole class recap on what has been
learnt and clarify that this it the model
they will use for their expositions.
~5 mins
This is to reiterate the Understanding
and Know components in relation to the
essential questions. The skill the lesson
focussed on will be re-contextualised in
relation to their summative assessment.

Exit card Here students have the opportunity to

Why is it a good idea to use a structure solidify their understanding and consider
like the PEEL model for writing how they are going with the Do
paragraphs? component of the objectives.
Write out the words of the PEEL
acronym.
How confident do you feel in using the
PEEL model for paragraphs?
~5 mins

Teacher Materials
PowerPoint (including the warm up task instructions, essential questions and
lesson objectives, PEEL content, outline of stations directing each student where
to go, and exit card instructions)
Signs at each station for students to locate them
Tier 3: Printed copies of various pre-written paragraphs, instructions with a colour
key, and highlighters
Tier 2: Printed instructions and information in dot point form that can be written into
PEEL paragraphs
Tier 1: Multiple copies of printed instruction sheets
A copy of the exit card for each student

Formative Assessment
Teacher observations/notes and the exit card will be used to determine whether or
not students have met the learning objectives for this lesson.
The first question of the exit card aims to assess if students have gained the
Understand component, the second question aims to assess if students have met
the Know component, and the third question aims to assess if students have met
the Do component. As the third question is a self-assessment by the students,
teacher observations/notes will need to be drawn upon as well to ensure accuracy.

Explanation:

This lesson plan is differentiated by student readiness in relation to a specific set of

learning objectives consisting of knowledge, understanding, and skills deemed
essential to the unit of study. Significant time was spent on designing clear learning
objectives for the lesson due to the fact that differentiation relies on high quality
curriculum characterised by clear learning objectives for what students will know, be
able to do, and understand (Jarvis, 2017, p. 15). The Tiering method, a readiness-
based strategy, is used in order to provide every student with work that is
appropriately challenging and respectful to them as a learner. Tomlinson (2014)
explains that one-size fits all activities are not likely to help students of lower
readiness, nor will it extend students of higher readiness (p. 133). Rather, using
tiered activities allows all students to focus on a common set of learning objectives,
but at different levels of complexity and independence (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 133).

Pre-assessment of student readiness is used to provide the teacher with information

regarding students levels of mastery of the upcoming content so that planning for
teaching and learning can be appropriately targeted towards student proficiencies
(Tomlinson & Moon, 2013, p. 30). The teacher cannot assume that because they
have not taught the content to the students that some or all do not already have
some level of mastery or understanding (Tomlinson & Moon, 2013, p. 40). For the
above lesson a pre-assessment in the form of a Quiz is used to determine where
each student in the class is at in relation to the learning objectives; First three
questions of the pre-assessment relates to the Understanding and Do
components, while the last question relates to the Know component. The pre-
assessment answers would then be examined to identify patterns of strengths and
needs related to the KUDs which then inform the design of activities that would
benefit some, many, or all learners (Tomlinson & Moon, 2013, p. 39). Students are
then, based on readiness levels ascertained from the pre-assessment, allocated to
tiers involving an activity to facilitate growth in their learning in relation to the KUDs
(note: the range of student readiness determines the number of tiers required).

The tiered activities in this lesson are executed using a station method, because this
allows different students to work with slightly varied tasks simultaneously at different
spots in the classroom. This is also a flexible grouping method whereby not all
students need to go to all stations or spend a dictated amount of time at each
station, which is beneficial for instilling growth mindsets in students. Tomlinson
(2014) suggests another possible benefit is a good balance of teacher and student
choice, which I have aimed to achieve by setting some parameters (the starting
station for all students) but allowing students some freedom to decide how long they
stay and where they go next (p. 104). In regards to teacher activity during the lesson,
while the teacher aims to check in with all three groups more than once, it is
expected that Tier 3 will be given the highest degree of independence.

The different tiers require students to work with different materials, yet the skill
students are addressing is the same across the board. All students are engaging
with a common set of learning objectives, only to varying levels of complexity and
challenge based on their current levels of readiness in relation to the objectives. The
tiers and associated tasks are outlined above in relation to the common Do
objective. When considering this Do objective in relation to the three tiers, it can be
further broken down to describe how the students do this and to what level of
complexity. By the end of the lesson, it is expected that all students will be able to
organise information into a logically sequenced paragraph using the PEEL
paragraph model, but further to this most students will be able to transfer provided
dot point information into a written logically sequenced paragraph using the PEEL
paragraph model, and some students will be able to write a lengthier logically
sequenced paragraph using the PEEL paragraph model. Thus, this lesson will
hopefully have resulted in Tier 1 and 2 students increasing their mastery and moving
to stations of increasing challenge, while Tier 3 students were sufficiently challenged
and have up skilled as a result of the more complex writing process.
Tomlinson and Moon (2013) suggest that student self-reporting and teacher
observation are well suited as formative assessment strategies (p. 36). Thus, the
evidence used to check student progress is a combination of informal teacher
observations and formal written responses, which requires an element of student
self-assessment. The formal assessment at the end of the lesson is an exit card that
poses questions directly related to the lessons learning objectives and students
provide brief responses. The purpose of this ongoing assessment is three fold; it is
used to monitor individual student and class progress in relation to the lessons
KUDs, it is for teacher reflection on instructional effectiveness and appropriate use of
differentiation, and for the student to self-reflect on their learning (Tomlinson & Moon,
2013, p. 77).

Reference List:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017). English.

Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/

Jarvis, J. (2017). Handout 2.2. In School of Education, Workshop Materials:

EDUC9406 Differentiation & Inclusive Education Practices. Flinders University,
Bedford Park.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). Differentiated classroom: responding to the needs of all

learners. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.

Tomlinson, C. A., & Moon, T.R. (2013). Assessment and student success in a
differentiated classroom. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.