Rebecca Loomes

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Section 3- Justification for instruction
This unit planner highlights the use of oral language skills through
progressive development and scaffolding, for students to create
information narratives independently. Oracy skills are designed to
build students speaking and listening skills prior to writing
(Hertzberg, 2012). The use of active listening in the classroom
provides english language opportunities that encourage students to
interact with each other and target particular learning areas
(Hertzberg, 2012).
All students need these opportunities to develop their oral language
development as it builds important skills for students from all
linguistic backgrounds (Hadaway, Vardell & Young, 2001). The
incorporation of oracy skills are important aspects in all teaching
and learning areas and has been used continuously throughout the
unit planner. This fosters students literacy development, as talking
and listening are essential to improving communication and
language skills (Hertzberg, 2012).
This unit planner has been developed through the use of the gradual
release of responsibility model. This framework is designed to
implement and scaffold students from the teacher taking all the
responsibility for students to perform a task to a position where
students are taking full responsibility of completing the task (Frey &
Fisher, 2010). The use of this teaching strategy provides students
with quality learning in implementing effective learning and
teaching strategies (Lin & Cheng, 2010). This is similar to the unit
planner as it begins with the teacher building students knowledge
and understanding of information narratives to students being able
to independently create their own piece of writing. The teaching
procedures in this planner use whole class and teacher centered
activities developing to small group and independent practice
(Gallagher & Pearson, 1983). This model makes clear links to
scaffolding, which has been used in the unit planner through the
Teaching and learning cycle. This focuses on developing students
understanding of information narratives through scaffolding and
modeling.
This unit planner will focus on two specific language features
associated with information narratives. Descriptive language is
utilized as a focus lesson as it promotes students to create
expressive images through the use of language and will improve
students writing ability when creating their narrative (Wing Jan,
2009). In combination with the My Place episode, students are able
to make meaningful connections through purposeful and authentic
situations through a historical topic of Australia. Using texts with
authentic language is particularly important in the classroom as for

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S00154579
english language learners creates difficulty to understand and make
meaning from the text (Hertzberg, 2012).
The language feature of descriptive language in particular is being
developed through the use of adjectives was used as a focus to
develop specific language features. In this lesson the use of a
picture chats has been implemented to engage students in using
descriptive language through describing the picture. Oral language
will be used in strategies to facilitate students engagement
(Hertzberg, 2012). The activity The use of description encourages
discussion among the class to improve their descriptions through
communicating as a class. This assists second language learners as
modeling teacher and student talk elicits appropriateness of using
language in mainstream classrooms (Gibbons, 2003). Fostering
discussion in the classroom is a valuable oral language activity for
students; this encourages students to apply their understanding
often prompting further discussion (Cambourne, 1995). This activity
assists second language learners as they are being exposed to new
vocabulary. This promotes English language learners to reflect and
draw upon conceptual knowledge, which creates meaningful
learning experiences (Greenfader, Brouillette & Farkas, 2014).
Another language feature focused on the unit planner is the use of
dialogue with direct and indirect speech. A think aloud has been
used to introduce this lesson as it allows students to verbalise
responses to questions, draw from their prior knowledge and build
their new knowledge form discussion with other students (Arnott,
2014). It also allows draws students attention to structural and
linguistic features in a set text (Hertzberg, 2012). This lesson
introduces readers theatre as a technique to build oral language
development. It also strengthens students reading comprehension,
fluency and critical literacy (Hertzberg, 2012). Readers Theater
connects reading and writing with talking and listening skills for
students to take on the roles of characters and use the writers
choice of language and expression to act as a text participant
throughout the task (Hertzberg, 2012). This task encourages
students to communicate with each other, asking questions through
an authentic situation. The focus group for this lesson focuses on
second language learners to further scaffold their use of language to
complete the task. It also is providing students with opportunities to
discuss and question building their understanding of language.
English language learners need to have many experiences to
interact, communicate and explore in the English language
(Hertzberg, 2012).
Throughout the planner other oral language skills have been used
such as an emphases on group discussion as it provides the
exploration of new ideas (Morre & Morre, 1992.This also includes the

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development of both open and limited closed questions are crucial
to understanding and creating dialogue in the classroom (Arnott,
2014). The collaboration of students working in pairs in this unit
planner, which is, fosters discussion and therefore transforming the
way students are learning as they are constructing and mastering
new skills or knowledge (Cambourne, 1995). Probing questions have
also been used throughout the planner to promote students to
explain in depth their thinking, this assisting the teacher to scaffold
students knowledge and understanding (Hertzberg, 2012). Students
have been encouraged to work in pairs throughout this unit of work
as it supports learning opportunities through talking and listening.
Consequently endorsing ideas for purposeful and meaningful talk
about the task (Hertzberg, 2012). Back-to-back viewing is another
valuable oral language technique as it promotes the isolation of two
senses, seeing and hearing. Students are then able to focus on the
listening or the viewing aspect of the clip. As students listen they
are completely focused on what they hear in the My Place clip rather
than focusing on many things by watching and listening. The
listener is able to process what they hear by writing it down in order
to create understanding (Hertzberg, 2012).
This research has informed decisions about how oral language can
be incorporated into a literacy unit focused on writing. Students
literacy development can be greatly enhanced by the use of oral
language as it supports communication and building ideas
(Hertzberg, 2012). Through exploring oral language development in
combination with teaching writing, it has shaped the way the tuning
in activities and independent learning were constructed together in
lessons. A key focus was the implementing of fostering discussion
and purposeful talk in the unit to develop students abilities to build
their understanding. Through the incorporation of using techniques
such as readers theatre and activities to foster oral language skills
it is significantly improving students oral language learning which is
fundamental to reading and writing (Hertzberg, 2012).

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