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Unit Plan Template - NSW
Unit Author
First and Last Name: Michelle Manderson & Marlene Filippi
Region: Liverpool
School Name: Glenwood Public School
School City, State: NSW
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Unit Overview
Unit Plan Title: Oceans of Stories
Syllabus Outcomes
English
* TS1.1
* TS1.1
* TS1.1
* RS1.5
* RS1.5
* RS1.5
Gives a simple description of familiar people, places and things
Follows and responds to an aural multimedia text
Gives a brief simple oral information report on familiar topics
Interprets story illustrations and simple diagrams
Reads a variety of literary and factual texts
Participates in class/group brainstorming activities to cluster and categorise
ideas and facts following the reading of texts
* WS1.9 Writes elementary descriptive information reports
* WS1.9 Contributes to joint construction of texts
* WS1.9 Uses a word processor to publish work
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question: Who lives under the Sea?
Unit Questions: Can I live in the sea?
How can we look after the sea?
What if mermaids are real?
Content Questions: Can you write 3 facts about a sea creature?
What are 3 ways to look after the sea?
What is your favourite sea creature?
Unit Summary….Stage 1 will be incorporating Book Week – Oceans of Stories with
a unit – Who lives under the Sea?
The children will be exploring the avenues of fact and fiction. Children will be given
the opportunity to discuss, brainstorm and research as many different types of sea
creatures that they can name. The children will discuss similarities and differences.
The children will also be involved in group situations involving computer/research
skills/craft activities and story telling. In addition to researching sea creatures the
children will be grouped so that they can experience the short listed books of 2003.
Teaching and Learning Strategies:
As this is a collaborative exercise between the Teacher-Librarian and the classroom
teachers it will be necessary to adapt the timetable to accommodate the learning
activities to be achieved.
The children will begin the unit as a whole group and much of the work will be
completed in the Library, however the children will be required to complete work
with their classroom teacher in the classroom. As this unit is literature-based it will
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become part of the English content for the classroom teacher
The children will be required to work in groups, whole class and individually. The
children will be assigned specific tasks whilst working in their groups to ensure
equality of contribution.
Some work will be joint-construction text writing, which will be entered onto the
Student’s Work sub-heading, of the school’s web site.
Professional Learning
 Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus - Board of Studies
 English K-6 Syllabus – Board of Studies
 View the video – The Little Mermaid (Disney)
Year Level(s)
Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2
Special needs such as: Gifted, ESL
Key Learning/Subject Areas
English, Creative Arts, Science & Technology
Procedures:
Lesson 1
The stimulus for this unit will be the viewing of the video – ‘The Little Mermaid’
(Disney)
Student activities/tasks will be
 Brainstorming What did you see in the video that lived under the sea?
What was real and what was fantasy? Draw up a chart and make two lists
Using the ‘real’ list write down everything children know about sea
creatures
After the brainstorming the children will be divided into groups to work on a variety
of activities.
Activities:
 Using the chart from the previous lesson and other visual aids make a
PowerPoint Presentation – 3 facts about a sea creature, using the facts from the
previous list – each child to make 1 slide each – put together by the teacher to
make a show.
 Tell students they have just discovered a new sea creature. They have to draw
a picture of it and write 3 facts about it.
 What do I need to live in the sea? Draw and write about the necessary body
parts that are required to sustain life under the sea. Artificial breathing devices
can be included. Make a class collage of the children’s illustrations.
 Read stories to demonstrate conservation. Children can illustrate their
favourite character from any of these books.
 Discuss and design a poster showing how we can look after our seas
(conservation). Use the computer – Microsoft Publisher Wizard
 From the computer read the newspaper and fill in the gaps –use the pictures to
help.
 Read stories about the sea, eg. ‘Where the Forest Meets the Sea’ by Jeannie
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Baker and write a book review. Publish an outline of a fish and display in the
room.
 Newspaper article – write a newspaper article about a sea creature (real or
imaginary) and type it onto the front page of the newspaper provided.
 Create ‘Lost’ poster describing a missing mermaid. Publish using Publisher.
Students can use paint to create their picture or draw and then scan their
picture for their poster.
 Prepare a 1minute talk “What if mermaids were real!” How would they live in
our world? How would they go shopping?
 Create a web page to include on the school website. Children will help add
drawings to the site and complete survey.
Creative Arts:
Cup of Fish – Ingredients: blue jelly, gummy fish.
Making a fish bowl – draw the shape of a fish bowl, a paper plate is a good
template – paint it blue. Whilst it is still wet sprinkle the bottom with glitter.
Cut out the shape of a fish, colour it and paste it into the bowl
Culminating Lesson
Have a ‘Sea Fest’ – invite parents or buddy classes to visit the
Library/classroom to look at the displays, PowerPoint presentation, website.
Serve fish and chips for lunch and cup of fish for dessert. Ocean music could
be playing in the background. The students could present their PowerPoint
display and talk about their page.
Approximate time needed:
Initial introduction 1 ½ hours with 3 classes altogether
Subsequent lessons will be 45 minutes in length, with some follow up activities to be
done in the classroom. There will be 8 lessons.
Prerequisite Skills:
None required
Materials and Resources
Technology - Hardware
Camera
Printer
X
Video Camera
Computer(s)
X
Datashow Projector
X
Video Conferencing
equipment
Digital camera
X
Scanner
X
Other
DVD player
Television/Averkey X
Other
Internet connection
X VCR
X
Other
Technology - Software
CD-ROMs
X
Editing software
Web page development
Database/spreadsheet
Internet Web Browser X Word processing X
Desktop Publishing X
Multimedia
Other
email software
Animation software
Other
Printed Materials: Resources accessed from the Library relevant for this topic
Supplies: Jelly
Coloured paper
Gummy Fish
Paper for pictures
Plastic Cups
Plastic Spoons
Paper Plates
Paint Brushes
Paint
Scissors
Glitter
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Paste
Internet Resources: web addresses (URLs) that support the implementation of your
Unit
Others: Guest speakers, mentors, excursions/incursions
Accommodations for Differentiated Learning
Students with Special Needs: These students will need to be seated at the front for
the viewing of the video in order to ensure that they can understand and hear what is
happening. Learning Support assistance is provided in the form of Teacher’s Aides.
English as a Second Language (ESL) Student: 48% of our student population is
ESL. Support will be provided in the form of the ESL teacher who will provide
additional one-to-one assistance. Some usually accepted terms, e.g., mermaid will
need to be explained in detail.
Gifted Student: These students will be able to independently research each of the
known sea-creatures. They will then be able to share this knowledge with other
members of their group. They will be asked to investigate why some creatures are not
real – how we do determine what is fact and what is fiction? Just because we haven’t
seen it doesn’t mean it is not true.
Student Assessment:
Student assessments will be conducted both on the computer and as pen and paper
assessments.
The children will be individually responding to the worksheet assessments as self
assessment. The teacher will conduct and distribute all assessments. Some of the
assessments are self assessments.
Assessments are:
 Make a poster showing how we can care for our sea creatures (computer)
 Match words and pictures (computer)
 Scan pictures to a word document (computer)
 Complete a survey (computer)
 Use a paint program (computer)
 Following instructions – making a fish bowl
 Reporting on the environmental issues – Talking & Listening
 Write a book review – Talking & Listening
Key Word Search:
Fact, fiction, sea creatures, dolphin, whale, shark, crab, survey, short-listed,
Australian Book Council
© Copyright NSW Department of Education and Training 2003.
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