Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: State of the reef

20 minutes

Find Out: What is coral bleaching?

25 minutes

Take Action: Appreciating the reef with creative writing

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will:

learn about how language can be used powerfully through creative modality and the concept of ‘show, don’t tell’.
learn about the state of the reef and how language can be used to communicate this condition and potential.

Success criteria:

Students can:

articulate facts about coral reefs and the issues contributing to their current status on Australian coastlines.
demonstrate the use of creative writing techniques in short descriptive passages about coral reefs, applying the principle of ‘show, don’t tell’ to their writing.
demonstrate editing skills in identifying grammatical errors and providing constructive feedback to their peers.

Tune In: State of the reef

Step 1

Introduce the lesson by explaining to students that they will be learning about the current state and issues facing the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. They will also develop their creative writing skills to communicate about the reef and these issues. Explain that before they use creative language to engage audiences, it is important to understand some of the context and see some visual imagery for stimulus later on.

Watch the following video with the class (also on the Student Worksheet), asking students to watch carefully so they can identify the key information and issues that are raised.

State of the reef (https://vimeo.com/1056608936/048457e885)

After watching the video, facilitate a brief class brainstorm about the issues raised. Students might refer to issues such as:

Coal mining and coal port
World heritage area/in danger status
Government decisions
Coastline changes
Reef traffic and spills and collisions
Carbon emissions
Coral bleaching

Step 2

Use the ‘Headlines’ visible thinking routine to encourage students to succinctly and precisely communicate their understanding of one issue they have just listed. Explain to the class that this thinking routine draws on the idea of newspaper-type headlines as a way to sum up an event, idea, concept, or topic. Ask students to respond to the following question on the Student Worksheet:

If you were to write a headline for this topic or issue that captures its most important aspect, what would that headline be?

Give students a few minutes to write their headline, using 10 words or less. Invite volunteers to share their headline with the class. Facilitate a discussion with them about what the headlines suggest about the issues, or challenges they heard about and saw in the clip.

Find Out: What is coral bleaching?

Step 1

Explain to students that one of the significant outcomes of ocean change on the Great Barrier Reef is coral bleaching. Explain that this is a process that occurs when the coral experiences stress caused by temperature changes, pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification. Further information can be found on the Coral Reefs Factsheet.

Hot tip: Depending on your class, you could project this document or ask them to open it from the Student Worksheet, and read through some of this material. Alternatively, students could return to the factsheets in step 2 of this part of the lesson.

Step 2

Watch the following video with the class and explain that it features information about coral bleaching and visual footage of what this looks like.

Coral Bleaching (https://vimeo.com/1056609106/dbf7b8aba7)

After watching the video, ask students for any thoughts they have and invite them to share with the class.

Step 3

Explain to students that they will now synthesise some of this new knowledge using a combined 3-2-1 and 'Think-Pair-Share' routine. A template for the routine is provided on the Student Worksheet. Explain to the class that this will require them to think about and reflect on 3 things they have learnt, 2 things they find interesting, and 1 analogy/metaphor or symbol for the topic of coral bleaching. Explain that the 'Think-Pair-Share' component encourages them to think about something and articulate their thoughts, promoting understanding through active reasoning and explanation. Also, point out that because they are listening to and sharing ideas with each other, they will have greater opportunity to understand multiple perspectives around this issue.

Hot tip: Depending on your class, you could project this document or ask them to open it from the Student Worksheet. Students then, briefly read through some of this material. Alternatively, students could engage with this at their own discretion, based on completing the 3-2-1/'Think-Pair-Share'.

Invite students to complete the THINK section individually, and after a few minutes, ask them to PAIR with the person next to them to discuss their responses together. After a few more minutes, bring the class back together and facilitate a discussion where students SHARE their thoughts from their pair work. For example, students might refer to the different functions of the reef, the protection it provides for the coastline, or increasing severity of bleaching.

Take Action: Appreciating the reef with creative writing

Step 1

Project or pass around the Creative Writing Tips Factsheet (also on the Student Worksheet). Read through the information together, explain to the class that they can use some of these tips to write a short creative passage about the coral reefs and/or coral bleaching. Where possible, ask for student volunteers to write examples of different elements on the whiteboard, especially those in the ‘show, don’t tell’ section.

Explain to students that while creative writing can seem difficult, it is a skill developed through practice and thinking about the different techniques that can help writing. Depending on your class, you could model some examples as well.

Step 2

Ask students to think about what they have seen and know of coral reefs that they could describe in a short descriptive passage. Explain to the class that they will now write a short (150 words) descriptive passage about one aspect of coral reefs, applying the prompts and techniques on the Creative Writing Tips Factsheet.

Invite students to open the Coral Bleaching Stimulus Images, or conduct some online searches for images of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. Students can also use the footage from the Student Worksheet to help prompt their writing. Give students enough time to plan and draft a short passage, monitoring their progress, and offering feedback and encouragement accordingly. Let them know they can include characters and create a short narrative if needed.

Step 3

Once students have drafted a response, remind them that an important part of any writing process is the editing stage, where grammatical inaccuracies and errors can be fixed, and clarity of meaning can be enhanced. Invite students to form pairs, and explain that they will conduct a self-check and peer-check to edit their work. Explain that while they might find errors in their own work, often, a fresh and objective set of eyes reading through work can pick up on simple errors, while offering new insights into how the work can be improved.

Provide students with the Editing Checklist. Give students time to read through their own work first, using the checklist to make any changes, corrections or additions.

Step 4

Encourage students to swap their work and checklist with their partner and read through their partner’s work carefully, using the prompts on the checklist to give each other feedback. Point out to students that the peer check side has some additional questions and space for suggestions and comments. After this is completed, students can use the remaining time to redraft or make some of the changes that their partners have identified. Remind students that this work is not something that they are assessed on, and it is ok if it isn’t perfect. The learning needs to be in applying and practising both writing using ‘show, don’t tell’ techniques and editing for grammatical accuracy.

Learning extension: Depending on the routines of your class, students could engage with the Coral Reefs Factsheet and use some of this information to complete the thinking strategies utilised in the lesson. Alternatively, students can revise and enhance their creative writing from Part C of the lesson by incorporating some visual images and presenting it on an A3 poster.

Reflection

Invite students to complete the ‘I used to think, now I think’ routine on the Student Worksheet to reflect on their understanding of the state of the reef and coral bleaching. Explain to them that this is a visible thinking routine that helps them think deeply and reflect on changes in their thoughts and understanding about issues, considering what has led to any changes or reinforced ideas. There is also space for students to write a short explanation for each of their choices.

Learning extension: Students can write a short paragraph that explains elements of coral reefs and coral bleaching, as well as the factors contributing to the poor health of Australian coral reefs. Students can also include an explanation, using examples from the lesson, of how some visual footage and information can help communicate these issues and their significance more effectively than purely written information. Students can also explain how creative writing can engage audiences and communicate these issues or this information differently for particular effects, especially using techniques such as ‘show, don’t tell’ as part of descriptive writing.

Blue - The Reef Creative Writing

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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UN Sustainable Development Goals

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