by Gareth Herring
| To provide pupils with an insight (through drama, ICT, written and reading activities) how communication from one person to another has evolved. Learning about signs and sign language for the deaf will increase pupils' awareness of people who have found ways around difficulties in communicating. A group of lessons based on famous orators is designed to inspire pupils' own skills in public speaking, they will be studying the 'I have a dream' speech and completing their own concluding lines for it, and -in some cases- reading/acting these out. The potential of the Internet will be discussed and analyzed. Main points of discussion will be how this tool can revolutionise our communication skills (will it make us lazy people?); the dangers of the Internet (a need for censorship); and, the benefits of the Net (accessing the largest library in the world). A research project in which pupils may choose to find out about and present material on one of the following will be completed: Logi-Baird, Bill Gates, Marconi, Graham-Bell, Eddison. The importance of maintaining good communication skills will be emphasised. |
'How and why do we communicate?' DRAMA
Chinese whispers game played to lead into the topic. Teacher to provide the 'message' to be passed on: "Send re-enforcements, we're going to advance." (famously ended up in the war as "send two and sixpence, we're going to a dance").
Think back to stone-age man, what were the main reasons he needed to communicate? (show prehistoric pictures from Catalan caves): survival, expression.
Drama based around 7 different difficult situations that the groups have to get out of (without talking) the remainder of group has to guess what it is they are miming:
H/W: 20 spellings
'It's Good to Talk'
Object of last lesson was to show that speaking is very useful in the right situations: it can help us out. We will practice questioning skills today.
One person told to leave the room and go to the end of the corridor. Rest of us construct a story on the board based upon a house fire, create characters and lots of detail, (pupils write in books).
The board is wiped and pupil comes back in and has to use questioning skills (open and closed) to discover what has happened. Pupil has to ask four classmates questions (chrts. in the story).
Open and closed questions practiced. Write lists of 5 open and 5 closed questions to ask your partner. Ask them. Write down the replies asap.
H/W: Choose a person who you would most like to ask questions (could be famous). Write down a list of 7 open and 3 closed questions for this person.
Reading lesson
Spelling test. Reading own books, getting pupils away from relying on books in class. Hear pupils read individually, assess them, chat about their reading, set them targets, award points.
'Dear Sir/Madam�.'/ Letter Writing
Sincerely and faithfully gone over (easy rule to remember: the 'S's don't go together - Dear Sir/Madam...faithfully/ Dear name...sincerely). Formal letter writing gone through on board. Writing frames distributed with boxes for address', dates, salutation, and signing off positions. Choose from this list a person or institution to write to. Addresses will be provided where available:Object of the lesson will be to rough out 1st drafts on the frames. Go through how tone is affected by choice, so is salutation and sign off.
H/W: Complete these letters.
Try to get letters onto final draft stage and finished. Spellings and grammar and punctuation checked by other members of the group before posting. Provide envelopes and stamps (if department budget allows). Copies to be kept for NC Folders.
Reading Lesson
'How to be an Orator in 10 Easy Steps'
Teacher-led board work on 10 points for better speaking skills.
Give examples en route of each point. Pupils to write points down and learn.
H/W: 20 Spellings
"I Have A Dream!"
Brief history of Dr Martin Luther King gone through with children. Have they heard of him? Where from? What did he do? Why is he regarded as such a great speaker?
Distribute speech (without final paragraph) o worksheets. Complete exercise finding repetition, emphasis, look how speech involves audience and extends outside of the immediate setting to reach the hills and dales of USA, look at style.
Pupils to attempt writing own final paragraph and volunteers to read them out. Will be assessed by me and class as a whole on the 10 points.
Reading Lesson
Famous Communicators
Differentiated sheets distributed containing extracts of famous speeches from Chief Sitting Bull, Winston Churchill, Suffragettes, Old Major from Animal Farm, ANC political prisoner. DARTS activities (based on grammar) gone through. Underline all adjectives, put a circle around all verbs etc. Comprehension piece to be written with pupils' own opinions at the end. Do they agree with the speech? Why? Extension: Why was it necessary to speak out about these issues?
"We shall fight them on the beaches."
Winston Churchill's speech played and analysed. 'I have been to the mountain top' speech (King) played and analysed. Pupils have note-taking grids to note down examples of good oracy.
Reading Lesson
Communicating in the Digital Age: the rise of the microchip.
Brainstorm on board and books various modern forms of communication. We take these for granted (sometimes) because they are now so commonplace, but not so only 10/15 years ago.
Advertising is an area where people try to communicate with us all the time, trying to influence our opinions. Talk about mobile phone ads, show some egs, have phone ring in the lesson, answer it, allow some pupils to talk to Sean Jennings.
Design an advertising poster for your own mobile phone firm. Must include: image, slogan, price, logo (go over these concepts on board).
H/W: Fing examples of small adverts in the newspaper and cut them out, stick them into books and label: image, slogan, price, logo.
Advertising (Persuasive writing)
Continue with advertising project. Work on exciting, persuasive language, tone and audience.
Differentiated extension: 'I Protest!' By 8p.m. all people of 14 and under must be at home and in bed.
Reading Lesson
Shakespeare exercise: Henry IV
Finishing off letters/posters/speeches from previous lesson. Take books in. Distribute worksheets with King Harry's "Once more unto the breach, dear friends" speech. DARTS activity based on the speech, spotting persuasive rhetorical techniques. Use the 10 we have learned, as well as:
Appealing to emotions of audience
Using alliteration
Speaking personally to the audience
Ending strongly
Take in the sheets for the NC folder.
The Innovators of Modern Communication: A Research Project.
Task: Choose one of the following famous people responsible for advancing electronic communication, and write a project on them of no more than 1500 words:
In your essay, you must use paragraphs, include at least three images with captions, explain the important things this person did, and answer the question in your conclusion: Why do you think female inventors/ innovators are not very often heard of? (Refer to the speech lesson in which Suffragettes were discussed).
Reading Lesson (1/2 lesson) Censorship and the Net discussion (1/2 lesson).
Half Term H/W: Complete the project to be handed in 28th Feb. or 1st March, and graded using NC criteria (and for quality of presentation).
This Communication Scheme of Work was found free at www.englishresources.co.uk
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