Next year, I will be returning to China to teach IGCSE (International General Certificate

of Secondary Education) secondary-level English Language Arts and Literature to a

class of ELLs. Therefore, I will use this activity as a building block for teaching next
year, since I am primarily hoping to gain greater application of differentiation in my
classroom as my purpose in this course. The IGCSE curriculum is also referred to as
“Cambridge Curriculum” and is internationally recognized as exemplary secondary
education, much like the IB (International Baccalaureate).

1. Name of special need: ELLs (English-language Learners)

2. Symptoms characteristics of need: Students “need to learn English as well as

learning in English” and meet the same standards. Other considerations include
the students’ length of time in the USA (or time exposed to speaking English),
socio-economic status, family support, and previous schooling.

3. Curriculum standard addressed in the lesson:

a. AO3: Recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language,
structure and form to create and shape meanings and effects.1 in Tim
Winton’s ‘On Her Knees’

4. Education objectives of the lesson:

a. Demonstrate understanding of the writer’s intentions and methods by
responding to the writer’s use of language.
b. Explore the effects of this use of language.
c. Develop analysis skills when exploring a literary text.

5. Introduction to the lesson

a. Introduce vocabulary using graphics and PPT.
b. Review concepts of author’s intent, structure, form, figurative speech (use
of language and other literary tools).

6. A plan to present the lesson that includes the differentiation strategies you will
use.
a. Teacher will read the work aloud, followed by student silent reading.
b. Hold verbal discussion about the work, using video, graphics, and role
play.

7. Activities students need to complete

a. Students have self-directed work time to find graphic representations of
meanings in work online or in magazines/books.
b. Students will form small collaborative groups or work alone.
c. Students will then communicate a personal response to the text in portfolio
form to demonstrate their understanding and mastery of the standard;
portfolios are presented individually, not in group form.

1
https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/414575-2020-2021-syllabus.pdf
 d. Portfolios may be presented in any form that conveys mastery: audio, art,
graphic, written, electronic, drama, etc.

8. Your plan to assess the lesson

a. The student portfolios will successfully explain or give examples of the
author’s purpose, themes in “On Her Knees”, and describe Winton’s use
of language.