WEEK 8: Communication

1. To present an argument for why you might encourage your students to communicate.
Effective communication is a key aspect to lead success in our life. Many jobs require strong communication skills and socialization skills
with people. It made us engaged well with people. There are few components of communication. Firstly, to be a good listener, respect
other people, when someone is talking, stay listening and not to think other things focus on the message being received, and not to
interrupt others conversation. Stay positive when communicating with others, maintain eye contact and ask questions if need
clarification. Suitable body language is needed in communication. Make other people feel welcome, valued and appreciated are actions
of encouragement in communication. An effective communication is with everyone involved and interacted with suitable body language
and questioning. Through the communication process, students learn the skills discussed above. They are valued skills to ones life.
2. To create a list of technologies that, as teachers, you can use to enable your students to communicate.
Technology enable students to communicate
Email
Smartphone Apps
Blog
Telephone
Mobile phone
Computer
Instant messenger
Video Chat
Web conferencing
Internet
Smartphone
Tablet

3. To apply one of those technologies to a range of classroom activities of the teams devising. This week the focus of the
classroom activity should be on communication.
The following lesson plan contains the classroom activity on communication with interactive whiteboard (IWB).

Lesson Plan (Primary) Team Teaching & Integrated

Lesson title:

Subject discipline lesson plan - Animal Habitats

Topic:

Learning Animal Habitats

Learning areas

Links to the
Australian
Curriculum:

Strands & sub-strands

Date:
Duration of
60 mins
lesson:
Content descriptors

Strands:
Science Understanding

Year level: 1

Year 1
YR10011

Science
Sub-strands:
Biological Sciences

Lesson rationale: What influenced your lesson choice? E.g. student interest, global/local event.
Habitats is a nature home for living things. It is an important knowledge to understand the basic requirement for the living things. Interactive
activities of watching video and matching cards are good for better brainstorming, knowledge sharing and information gathering. Video learning
with 2-way communication platform for audience being there. (Grover, 2007)
Students background knowledge: What is your starting point what

Teacher focus: What areas will you concentrate on yourself? e.g. classroom management,

do the students already know, what have they done before, how does this
lesson connect to or build on their existing knowledge?

voice, body language, student motivation.

Students have already known

There are different animals in the world.
Animal may live in different places for different
environment.

For classroom management, make sure students are all concentrated

when delivering information to them such as during video time and set
the rules. (Kelly, 2014)
For timing strategy, remind myself to make each activity on time.
Use discussions and group work to join students working together for
matching cards game.
A video demonstrating animal habitat
If the students are too noisy, I will stop talking instead of speaking louder

Learning objectives: What will the students learn?

to get their attention. This is a pause power strategy. (Dugdale, 2014)

Motivate and engage students with questions and group work. (Kelly,
2014)
Clap hands to draw students attention in appropriate time.
For motivation, I will praise students to encourage their confidents.

Learning environment and resources: Where will this lesson take place? e.g.
indoors or outdoors. What resources will you need to have prepared?

students should be able to

Know what makes an animal habitat.
Know animals eat different food
Know basics of habitat for different animals. They can tells
the examples which show from the video.

Learning Environment
This class will take place in the classroom
Resources
1. YouTube video of Animal Habitat (Niki Parkin. 2012, Oct 23)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsoUZzGtoOs
2. Matching cards via interactive whiteboard, matching different animals
with suitable habitats.
3. Drawing paper and colour pencils. For students to draw a same habitat
for different animals.

Assessment strategies: How will you identify what the students have learnt and how will you record this?
Formative
Asking and prompting questions related to animal habitats
Ask students the similarities and differences of habitats for different animals.
Observe students if they are understanding and engagement in the activities
Summative

Teacher tests students by asking questions and in card matching games.

Teacher asks students to draw a picture in same habitat with different animals to check their identification of habitat.
Teacher assesses and evaluates the classes effectiveness, in relation to desired outcomes at the end and records the elements of
the lesson which worked/ didnt work and any changes and ideas for future improvements

Stage of
lesson

Approx
.
time

Pre-service teachers actions

What will you do during this time?
What prompting questions might you need to
prepare?
How might you assess and record student
learning?
How will you cater for individual differences?

Student actions/tasks
What will the students be doing during this time?

10 mins
Stage 1
Introduction
How will you
gain the
students
attention,
engage the
interest of the
students and
introduce the
concept(s)?

asking questions such as

- What habitats do fish live in?
- What habitats do human live in?
- What are the components we need to
make us alive? (Food and water)
- What kinds of insects and groupings of
insects can you name? etc.
Introduces Habitat meaning.

Whole class discussionTeacher prompts discussion and students answer questions

40 mins YouTube video of Animal Habitat (Parkin)

Stage 2
Body of lesson
Describe each
activity and the
order in which it
will be
undertaken.

Students watch
Students keep quiet

Teacher shows the matching activity via interactive

whiteboard (IWB)
Teacher explains to students, play the activity by
using interactive whiteboard (IWB). They will come Students watch
in front of the IWB and play one by one.
The matching card contains animals and habitats,
students have to do matching. The cards which
locate on the left are image of habitats. And the
cards locate on the right are image of animals.
So students use their finger to point the animals
move their finger to the suitable habitats. Then the
cards will step together. If they get the wrong
answer, the sound will alert students have to
match again.
Teacher monitors students participation and
engagement. Helps students appropriately.

Students do matching by using interactive whiteboard.

10 mins
Stage 3:
Conclusion
How will you
draw the lesson
ideas together
so that the
students can
evaluate what
they have
learnt? How will
you prepare the
students for the
next task?

Teacher summarizes main concepts of habitats

and different animals live in different habitats. And
explain the similarities and differences with
different habitats.
Prompt Individual assessment Teacher asks
students to draw a picture of one habitat with
different animals.

Individual assessment
Students listen.

Teacher will ask students to finish individual

assessment at home as it is not enough time for
students to finish it in 10 minute. We will check it
in next lesson.

Evaluation and self reflection of the lesson: How well did your lesson plan meet your lesson objectives? What aspects of the lesson worked
most effectively? What aspects of the lesson could be improved and how could they be improved? E.g. Lesson flow, classroom management,
resources, assessment of student learning.
Follow up: Are there any areas that you feel you need to follow up with the students?

Mentor teacher comments:

Pre-service teacher comments:

References
ACARA. (2014). Year 1 Level Description. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/science/Curriculum/F-10?layout=1#level1
Arjunan. (2011). Daily Lesson Plan for Science Year 3. Retrieved from http://punithawathy.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/daily-lesson-plan-for-scienceyear-3.html
ASTA. (2014). Outline of unit. Retrieved from http://scienceweb.asta.edu.au/years-f-2/unit1/overview/yrf2-unit1-overview.html
Dugdale, S. (2014). How is your Teachers Voice? Retrieved from http://www.write-out-loud.com/teachers-voice.html
Grover, S. (2007) Benefits of video based e-learning. Retrieved from http://shalinigrover.blogspot.com.au/2007/07/benefits-of-video-based-elearning.html
Kelly, M. (2014). Managing student conduct. Retrieved from http://712educators.about.com/od/discipline/a/student_conduct.htm
Kelly, M. (2014). Methods for Presenting Subject Matter. Retrieved from http://712educators.about.com/od/teachingstrategies/tp/Methods-ForPresenting-Subject-Matter.htm
MBC. 2005. Habitats and History, http://www.mbc.edu/academics/wildflowerstudy/textpages/Habitat.html
Parkin, N. (2012, Oct 23). Animal Habitat PowerPoint. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsoUZzGtoOs

4. To identify other tools you found that you can use to communicate?
Tools
Hotmail
Yahoo mail
Gmail
Bubbl.us
Trello
Dropbox
Facebook
Twitter
Instant messenger
skype
Web conferencing
Wikis
FidoNet
Usenet
Coggle
Evernote
Google Docs