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=** Grade 6 Inquiry Unit  **= =** Multi-Genre Communication Quest  **=


 * By: Gwen Friesen, Tammy Kachmarski, and Allison Sherwin **

** Unit Overview: **
People have always needed to communicate. In this unit, students will have opportunities to listen, read, and view different texts and communication tools – fiction and non-fiction, print and visual, concrete and abstract. They will learn how to gather, organize, reflect on and communicate information with teachers, peers and collaborative partners. This unit focuses on one essential question and several guiding questions with sample lessons and suggested resources included. The unit is organized into 5 lessons and one end-of-unit project. Time allotment for each component (lesson) will depend on each classroom. This unit is suggested to be completed in approximately 6 weeks.

** Inquiry Learning **
Here are some links to help you better understand the Inquiry Process of Activating, Pursuing and Sharing the Inquiry. An overview of Inquiry and a comparison between a traditional and an inquiry classroom: http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/inquiry/index.html A site that provides information and examples on different types of questions: http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/questioning.htm

** Adaptive Dimension **
All activities in this unit provide opportunities to scale down or extend material to meet the needs of every learner in the classroom. =** Essential Question: Why do we communicate? **=

** Guiding Questions: **
· What is the purpose of communication? · How has communication changed? · How have communication and technology changed/developed societies? · Why do you have a responsibility to communicate (safely) ethically? · How has technology and media (advertising and the arts) influenced the way you interact with others? · What skills do you need to communicate using technology effectively? · What impact does communication have in your life? =**Objectives for Unit **=

 ·  Listen to, read, view and comprehend a range of genres relating to the role of communication in their lives and the ideas and ideas and technology that help people become effective communicators  ·  Listen to, read, view and comprehend print and electronic resources to understand the development of communication from the past to present to future  ·  Speak, write and represent to describe, to narrate, to explain and inform the role and development of communication  ·  Speak, write and represent to persuade and recognize that speaking, writing, and representing as useful tools for clarifying thinking, communicating and learning  ·  Experiment with a variety of text forms and oral techniques to demonstrate an understanding of the world of communication  ·  Select and use the appropriate strategies and language cueing systems to construct meaning before, during and after listening, reading and viewing.  ·  Select and use the appropriate strategies and the language cueing systems and conventions to communicate meaning before, during and after speaking, writing and representing.  ·  Understand and apply the language cues and conventions as the listen, speak, read, write, view and represent.  ·  Consider which listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing strategies work best for each task and situation.  ·  Appraise own listening, speaking, reading writing, viewing and representing skills and strategies.  ·  Appraise own and other’s work for clarity
 * Foundational Objective 1: Students will extend abilities to listen, speak, read, write, view and represent effectively in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes. **
 * Foundational Objective 2: Students will extend abilities by practicing the behaviours of effective, active listeners, speakers, readers, writers, viewers, and representers. **
 * Foundational Objective 3: Students will extend abilities to assess strengths in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing and set goals for future growth. **

** Suggestions for ongoing activities throughout the unit: **
Create a bulletin board display of the devices/tools used for communication in our society. Arrange the items in order. The purpose of this display is to provide students with a visual aid showing the progression of means of communication over time. As each literature selection is read, place a picture/word on the timeline to show where it fits. Students are welcome to add to the timeline when they find additional information about other means of communication. Means of communication can include verbal, print, visual art, music, radio, TV, movies, electronic, etc... Students need to be reflecting on their learning and continually recording their thoughts in response to the Essential Question. Suggested ways of recording responses can be as a blog, a wikispace, written or online journal or a graffiti wall in the classroom. All of these tools can be used by the class as a whole or by individuals. 3. Categorizing ** Prior to the culminating project the students can use the timeline to make connections and categorize the items on the timeline. We anticipate that students will see connections in many different ways. Example: Music: Wandering minstrels> Orchestras> Gramophones> Records> Cassettes> Walkmans> Discmans> iPods> Music cell phones, etc.... (each student will possibly make different connections)
 * 1. Timeline of Changes in Communication **
 * 2. Ongoing documentation of thoughts referring back to the Essential Question ** :