FOUNDATIONS OF ESL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Design a Thematic, Interdisciplinary Unit: Part 1
Luis Lindo
American College of Education
BE5013 - Foundations of ESL and Bilingual Education
Rita Deyoe-Chiullan PhD
February 27, 2023
Part 1 Template
Use vocabulary to describe the weather. Name and identify different kinds of weather.
English language development Science
Grade Level of Students Served: Language Level of Students Served:
2nd grade Beginner
Unit Theme: Why is the weather different in different places?
Part 2 Template
Brainstorm Associations
Content Area 1: Theme: Content Area 2:
English language development Science
Why is
Ideas: the Ideas:
o Weather words weather o ways to study the weather.
o The weather outside different o Weather forecast
o Comparison words in o Factors that affect the temperature
o Extreme weather different o Why is the weather different in different
vocabulary places? countries?
o Characteristics of o Prepare for extreme weather conditions.
extreme weather o Compare weather measurements.
o Weather Cognates o The weather affects our lifestyle.
o Ways to prevent natural disasters.
o Dangerous weather conditions
o Relation between seasons and weather
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Part 3 Template
Guiding Questions
1. What is the weather?
2. How does the weather affect our lifestyle?
3. What are extreme weather conditions?
4. Have you ever experienced extreme weather conditions? What was it like?
Part 4 Template
Week 1
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating
Describe Give examples Manipulate a
different and definitions thermometer.
weather of extreme
conditions. weather
conditions.
Summarize an Compare
extreme weather
weather event. conditions in
different
regions of their
country.
Week 2
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating
Recall extreme Convert Prepare an oral Explain the
weather weather presentation different
vocabulary and measurements. related to the weather
expressions. weather in conditions in
their country. different
regions.
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Activity number one: Cooperative learning
Cognitive Domain: Remembering
Cooperative Learning strategies are a style of education in which students work in collaborative
groups led by a teacher to achieve a specific educational objective. When students are encouraged
to work together on academic problems, we say that they have engaged in cooperative learning
(Yusnani, 2018). This method allows students to gain more practical experience in a setting more
akin to the workplace in their future professional environment. This strategy lets teachers and
students integrate fundamental competencies and practice soft skills that are essential to students’
success in their lives and careers. Students are arranged into small groups and take the lead in the
exercise, as it is a student-centered activity. This technique allows students to hear their own voices
and views. This strategy encourages pupils to contribute, have a good relationship with others, and
accomplish a goal as a team. To ensure all students participate in the activity, the teacher explains
the assignment in detail, in which all students must collaborate with specific activities. In this
thematic unit, the students will give examples and explain extreme weather conditions in
cooperative learning groups. Students will be paired up by using opposing cards to match students.
The teacher passes out the cards and asks the students to find their match. Example:
Old=new, big=small, tall=short, man=woman, city=countryside, good=bad, long=short…
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Think-pair-share technique.
The teacher gives students the following chart to complete using their background knowledge.
Table 4
Issue/question What I think What my classmate What we think
thinks
Give examples and
definitions of extreme
weather conditions.
To start, students work independently and write three examples of extreme weather conditions and
a short definition. After that, the students discuss their ideas with their classmates. (1) They check
the examples they both wrote, and (2) add their classmates' ideas that they did not write. They also
circle the examples and definitions that they consider more relevant to share with the class. The
teacher randomly asks one of the students to share their ideas with the class. In addition, when they
listen to the entire group’s thoughts, they write three more extreme weather conditions they
consider relevant. Ultimately, the instructors transform "sharing" into a class-wide conversation.
Activity number two: Whole language
Cognitive Domain: Remembering
The whole language approach (WLA) is an educational perspective on how language, literacy, and
instructions are seen (Rimbey, 2022). Based on this approach, reading, and writing are seen as
vital social activities. Hence, the approach asserts that reading instructions should be intimately
tied to authentic life events, activities, and the students’ learning objectives. WLA aims to generate
meaning from reading and introduce students to writing projects based on their experiences. This
method's proponents think that students will learn to read naturally, the same way they speak and
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walk. Immersing very young learners in quality literature makes it possible to build fluent and
capable readers with a solid foundation in literacy (whole language, n.d.). By using the WLA,
reading is not formally taught but rather something that is developed through experience. The
instructor plays more of a supporting role in the students' education. In addition, the students’
interest in reading is sparked through literature, which encourages them to start memorizing the
words they encounter in their readings. Moreover, phonics instruction is integrated into the reading
material itself; therefore, the instructor’s goal is to highlight phonic aspects as they occur in the
reading. The ultimate goal of reading is that the students understand the message of the reading
and not every single word that appears in the text. WLA teaches students to use context clues and
pictures to determine the meaning of unknown words. In this thematic unit, the students will Recall
extreme weather vocabulary and expressions in the whole language.
By using a set of flashcards, the teacher introduces extreme weather vocabulary and expressions.
Steps to follow.
1. The teacher shows a flashcard with a picture and a word.
2. Students see the flashcard and say the word by looking at the picture.
3. Students have the chance to point out the salient features of the picture.
4. Students use the word by creating one example on their own.
5. Students define the word and picture as a whole class.
6. Students write the word in the notebooks.
This activity's main objective is for students to recognize the whole word when seen in a reading.
This activity also helps students predict the story by looking at the title and pictures. The teachers
can also stick the words and pictures on the whiteboard. The students are asked to read the word
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by looking at the picture as a whole class. Then, the teacher picks students randomly to go to the
board and read the words aloud, and students are also encouraged to provide sentences using the
words. At the end of the activity, students are encouraged to write a short paragraph incorporating
all the vocabulary acquired throughout the session.
Activity number three: Language experience
Cognitive Domain: Understanding
The language learning approach (LEA) creates texts for reading instruction based on the student's
experiences, vocabulary, and language patterns (Dixon, 1982). The LEA approach is appropriate
for emerging and beginning readers since it uses words and concepts that students are familiar with
because the teacher encourages pupils to draw from their backgrounds and experiences. The
teacher uses the students' experiences and interests to their advantage. One aspect that sets the
LEA apart from other approaches is that there are no right and wrong answers. By modeling how
to put their thoughts and words into writing and reading, teachers scaffold their students' speaking
so that students effectively record their everyday happenings or personal experiences.
Both the instructor and the pupils develop their own texts. While students dictate their ideas, the
teacher serves as a model writer, allowing pupils to observe how concepts and words might be
conveyed in writing. Individual students may dictate a sentence, or a short story could be composed
using their thoughts. The written story can now be read in class. If the texts for language experience
are pertinent to the students, the ability to read them aloud generates an enjoyable experience and
strengthens the reciprocity between reading and writing. A valuable resource for shared or
individual early reading is the work that students have produced based on their own experiences
and using everyday language.
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In this thematic unit, the students will summarize an extreme weather event using the language
experience approach. The teacher will complete the following steps to accomplish the objective
that students summarize a severe weather event.
Talk-write and read. The idea is that if students can say what they think, they can write what they
say and read what they write.
1. To start, the teacher writes/asks the following question. What is an extreme weather event?
Have you ever experienced an extreme weather event? What was it like? The teacher also
shows some pictures related to extreme weather events.
2. Students look at the pictures and describe them. The teacher puts students’ ideas into
words.
3. The teacher asks students to repeat before creating co-constructed sentences. Make
students repeat several times so that they can practice their oral fluency.
4. The teacher must remember that students are the main providers of ideas when putting the
text together.
5. Students read what the teacher has written on the board to comprehend what has been
discussed and written.
6. Students repeatedly read, which will help them become more independent readers as they
read the text they wrote repeatedly.
7. It is time to focus on specific phonics aspects. The teacher can identify words that share a
phoneme and ask students to repeat them and see their similarities. By doing this, students
can create their own phonological awareness.
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8. Finally, it is time for independent practice. After discussing extreme weather, putting
students’ ideas into words, and reading as a whole class, students write in their notebooks
what the teacher wrote on the whiteboard. Then, students will read by themselves or read
to one of their classmates.
Using the LEA, students will have something more meaningful to read than reading a book from
an established curriculum since the writings and readings are based on their background
knowledge and firsthand experiences.
Developing specific learning objectives that match state standards from the textbook's weekly
lesson plans can be difficult when working on an interdisciplinary unit. Yet, it is very
straightforward to reproduce the lessons outlined in the instructor's manual. While some students
can be engaged with these mandated lessons, others may be compliant or disruptive and need to
be more engaged. As a result, developing a thematic unit with a clear objective and sequence
among topics aids in creating more engaging sessions in which all students are the protagonists of
their own learning.
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References
Dixon, C. (1982, November 30). ERIC - ED236933 - Language experience approach to reading
(and Writing). Language-experience reading for second language learners., 1983.
[Link]
Rimbey, C. (2022, January 29). [Link] | Take online courses. Earn college credit. Research
schools, degrees & careers. [Link]. Retrieved February 23, 2023, from
[Link]
Whole Language. (n.d.). [Link]. [Link]
[Link]/[Link]
Yusnani. (2018). Theoretical perspectives on cooperative learning. KnE Social Sciences, 3(4),
976. [Link]
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