Template for Assignment 1: Tiered Lesson

Name & Student Number: Aaron Collier 2107374

Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson: HASS
Specific Topic of Lesson: Geography Water as a resource
Year Level/s: 6/7

Lesson Context

This HASS unit sees students looking at water in the world, with this lesson looking specifically at clean water scarcity and ways of
overcoming it. Previous lessons have looked at water as a resource, and how water is treated prior to consumption. This lesson looks
to the filtration part of the water treatment process, and aims to utilise problem solving skills to ensure water is recycled through a filter
of the students own design. This lesson is to be delivered early in the unit, as part of the explore phase of the 5E model.

Learning Objectives
This lesson does not contain a wide array of KUDs to help ensure both teacher and student are clear in what the lesson is designed to
teach (William, 2011). These KUDS are adapted from ACSSU113 and ACSHE120, which look at mixtures and their separation, as
well as using science and design to contribute solutions to contemporary issues respectively.

As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will:

understand that

water can be managed and cleaned through the process of filtration

mixtures contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated

know be able to (do)

that mixtures are a combination of pure substances that can be design and make a water filter from common materials
separated problem solve and separate physical contaminants from a liquid
what the different roles of the parts of the filter played (see mixture
information sheet attached)
Essential Questions

How can we effectively filter water?

What are the roles of the different materials in the water filter?

Pre-assessment of Individual Student Readiness

The pre-assessment for this particular lesson will have occurred at the end of the previous lesson. The previous lesson will have been
looking at the water treatment process, and at the end of that lesson, students will have completed a journal entry within their HASS
books that explains their understanding of this process. This will have been scaffolded through class discussion, and the journal entry
should cover the following points: Why is water treated? How is water treated? Are there any particular methods of treating water, and
can you name/ explain them?

Although completed within their book, this journal entry is not a linear written pre-assessment, although it can be should the individual
student chose for it to be. Students are encouraged to utilise pictures and diagrams to articulate their understanding in a multi modal
fashion, exclusive to them. The product itself is decided by the student, guiding only by the scaffolding discussion, and teacher
prompts. It will display students level of understanding of the water treatment process, and will be used to determine grouping for the
tiered lessons.

Students whose journal entry demonstrated a solid understanding of the water treatment process will be grouped into the higher tier,
Verdant. This group will aim to extend students through greater independence and additional complexity through mathematics.
Students that completed the journal entry in a manner that showed majority understanding will be placed into the magenta group. This
group will maintain some independence from resources, however will not have the same level of mathematical challenge. The final
group, Teal, will be will be made up of students who showed some understanding, though could benefit from additional support. This
group will not have the same level of mathematical challenge, and will be initially supplied with both resources to aid them, whereas
other tiers may/ may not be initially supplied with such.

All groups will have access to the same resources and materials, however, the tiering process means that some groups have the
choice as to whether or not they utilise the aiding resources. Everything will be readily available to everyone. This is further explained
through the explanatory notes adjacent to the lesson sequence.

Lesson Plan
Prior to the lesson you will need to create Long-Tooths
long-stewed water-brew. This can be achieved by filling a Explanatory notes
bucket with water and adding contaminants such as dirt,
mud, wood shavings/ chippings, pieces of bark, and any
other contaminants you wish. The required materials (see
attached) will also be needed ahead of time, as well as the
bottles cut in half (or at least the bottom ends removed).
Begin the lesson by setting the scene and reading the
narrative story arc (any of the three can be read, simply
substitute to amount of gold to a sum of gold). Use class
discussion to iterate the problem, that they are trapped in pairs
on a faraway island with a limited amount of money. The island
does not have clean drinking water, and they must therefore
make a water filter of their own invention. There is a catch,
however, that all the resources on the island are owned by a
merchant, and they must therefore buy all items from the
merchant using their limited pool of gold.
The naval theme was chosen because the students within the target
classroom have shown a fondness towards Pirates in other tasks.
This interest has been incorporated into the design of this specific
lesson, and with the exception of the amount of coin students have
to work with, the narrative arcs are the same for all. If needed (for
classes other than the intended), the story can easily be changed for
the interests of others.
The Verdant groups task package contains only the story, their
specific situation, a pricelist, and a treasure map to the additional
resources available. They only have 150 gold bullions available to
them to provide them with a physical limitation to the materials they
can buy from the merchant. The aiding resources are still available
to them through the use of the treasure map, however, they are not
provided.

Divide the class up into their respective readiness groups, and
ask students to pair up (threes, in needed, are fine). Hand out
the student task packages to each pair within their group.
These sheets that make up the packages are attached at the
back of this document, and these required arrangement of
sheets is explained in the right hand column for each group.
For ease, they have been colour coded.
Before beginning the task, it is imperative that all students
know that under no circumstance is the water used in the class
today to be consumed (even after filtering). Students must
complete the task by utilising their prior knowledge and
navigating the monetary resource constraint set upon them to
build a functional water filter. The different task packages
reflect their readiness level, and have been tiered accordingly.
Those in the Verdant group are most unfortunate and have lost
some coin. They are stranded with only 150 gold bullions.
Their task is to build a water filter using the resource cap
available to them (150 Gold).
Students in the Magenta group were lucky enough to find an
additional 75 bullions, bringing their total to 225 gold pieces.
They are to complete the same task with the aid of their task
packages using the 225 gold they have received.
The Magenta group has 225 bullions to make use of, and their
package contains the same documents as those in the Verdant
group. Additionally, it also contains a sheet that explains the role of
each material with respect to the filtration process. The higher gold
count eases the decision making process as this provides a more
forgiving experience in terms of buying materials. It still requires
students to be aware though, whilst still providing a reasonable
challenge.
The Teal group has 300 gold bullions available, making the
monetary constraints negligible. This gives these students the
opportunity to explore a multitude of options for the creation of their
water filter in a forgiving environment. Their task package also
contains the aiding resources that explain the purpose and use of
the materials available to them with respect to the filtration process,
as well as the home-made water filter prompt sheet.
In case the monetary aspect provides too great a challenge to some
students (which it should not, however, that does depend entirely on
the day), the currency aspect may be removed. The mathematical
aspect is used only to further differentiate the task at hand, and can
be removed to streamline the activity. Should all fair well, however,
all students are capable of completing the task set.

In the Teal group, students were most fortunate to have zip

pockets in their pirate trousers, and have lost minimal coins.
Students in the Teal group have access to 300 gold bullions,
and will complete the task with all supplementary resource
sheets provided.

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding

At the end of the activity, students will complete an exit card/ rubric relating to their learning experience within the lesson (see
attached). Students are to be lead through the exit card by the teacher to ensure clarification, however the teacher will only facilitate
discussion and not provide answers. This closing activity is to provide the teacher with the information necessary to determine where
each student is in relation to the learning goals. It will provide direct insight with regards to students level of readiness to move
forward, and to determine whether students would benefit from additional coverage of the topic at hand (Jarvis, 2010).

Students own evaluation of their experience through the rubric will demonstrate their understanding of the task, and provide students
a method of reflection as well. The rubric was specifically designed to get students thinking reflectively about their water filters prior to
answering the questions, and their answers to these questions will give an accurate representation of where each child is with their
learning. The teacher can then utilise this knowledge to best provide feedback to the students relating to the gap (Sadler, 1989, in
Hattie, 2012). This iterative feedback process will enable transparent feedback and communication to occur, so that students know
and understand how to bridge the gap between where they are, and where they are heading. It reiterates the question of where am I
going?, and gives students the knowledge needed to answer the questions how am I going to get there? and where to next?
(Hattie, 2012).

This exit card was designed to be streamlined to ensure all students could complete it at the end of the lesson without changing the
dynamic that the practical activity will have created. This will give students an opportunity to reflect on both their water filter and their
 learning experience through an activity they are more inclined to complete. This provides not only feedback on the content and
learning, but on the lesson as a whole, and whether or not it was an enjoyable experience.

Explanation:

The explanation of the task is of paramount importance to really give students an idea of what is expected of them. It is important that
students are able to answer the question, where am I going?, and that is only accomplished through effective communication between
teacher and student (Hattie, 2012). It is, however, just as important that this guiding instruction uses keywords and gives students an
idea of what is expected of them, as the learning experience for students depends more on the quality of the talk, rather than the
quantity (William, 2011). Teachers should paraphrase the story with the students before beginning to best ensure everyone is
understanding of the task. This discussion should be facilitated by the teacher, deriving the information as greatly as possible from
student input to check for comprehension of the story.

During the practical phase of the activity, it is important that the teachers takes a step back from the guiding role, and assumes the
position of facilitator, rather than traditional teacher. Teachers and students must work as partners in learning during this phase, to
monitor progress rather than direct (Jarvis, 2010). The teacher can facilitate open discussion, however students are to independently
work with the systems designed, and not be coaxed through the lesson. This task has been specifically structured as a flexible learning
opportunity (Jarvis, 2013) with the current audience in mind to ensure a worthwhile learning experience occurs, and whilst students of
varying levels may work dependent on the supporting materials provided, they are capable of working independently of teacher
smothering.

The tiering of this task is designed to differentiate up, rather than down, to effectively raise the standard for all students (Jarvis, 2010).
All participants should be able to achieve the KUDs set in this lesson through the pathways that have been planned for them through
differentiation, making the lesson a successful experience for all.

References
Hattie, J 2012, 'Flow of the lesson: the place of feedback', in Hattie, John, Visible learning for teachers: maximizing impact on
learning, Routledge, London, pp. 115-137.
Flow of the lesson the place of feedback.pdf

Jarvis, J 2010, 'Differentiation for the many, not the few', SERUpdate, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 3-6.
Differentiation for the many, not the few

Jarvis, J 2013, 'Differentiating learning experiences for diverse students', in Hudson, Peter (ed.), Learning to teach in the primary
school, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, Vic., pp. 52-70.
Differentiating learning experiences for diverse students.pdf

William, D 2011, 'Eliciting evidence of student achievement', in Wiliam, Dylan, Embedded formative assessment, Solution Tree
Press, Bloomington, IN, pp. 71-105.
Eliciting, evidence of learners' achievement.pdf

Checklist of assignment components:

Completed lesson context explanation
Completed clear learning objectives and essential questions for the lesson
Complete, step-by-step lesson description, with brief notes explaining how the lesson represents an example
of a tiered lesson to address readiness
Explanatory 1-2 paragraphs clearly linking your lesson planning decisions to the topic content (and citing
sources as appropriate)
Supplementary materials (e.g., copies of directions, handouts, etc. provided to students)
Copy and/or description of preassessment task used to assign individual students to appropriate tiers
Evaluation/ assessment criteria (e.g., rubric or checklist used to guide evaluation of student work)
EDUC4720/1 EDUC9406 2017. Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)
 Magenta Group

Narrative Story Arc

It was a rough night at sea, and you found yourself knocked overboard during the
height of the storm. As fate would have it, you were washed ashore on a nearby island.
After some exploration, you have found another member of your crew and discovered
that the only other inhabitant on the island is a merchant, who goes by the name of
Long-Tooth Morgan. Long-Tooth Morgan owns everything on the island, but is willing
to part with his items for a small fee.
You and your shipmate are stranded, and desperately thirsty. You must drink, but you
cannot drink from the sea because it is far too salty. As a gesture of good will, Long-
Tooth Morgan offers you a drink of Long-Tooths long-stewed water-brew. The water,
however, contains many impurities and bits, and is unclean. You are thirsty, but not
that thirsty.
The thirst makes you think. You and your partner decide to make a water filter from the
parts available for sale from Long-Tooth Morgan to clean the water. You check your
pockets and find that between you, you have a modest 225 gold bullions. You must
carefully decide how to spend these coins to create a functional water filter, so you can
turn Long-Tooths long-stewed water-brew into filtered, clean water.
 Teal Group

Narrative Story Arc

It was a rough night at sea, and you found yourself knocked overboard during the
height of the storm. As fate would have it, you were washed ashore on a nearby island.
After some exploration, you have found another member of your crew and discovered
that the only other inhabitant on the island is a merchant, who goes by the name of
Long-Tooth Morgan. Long-Tooth Morgan owns everything on the island, but is willing
to part with his items for a small fee.
You and your shipmate are stranded, and desperately thirsty. You must drink, but you
cannot drink from the sea because it is far too salty. As a gesture of good will, Long-
Tooth Morgan offers you a drink of Long-Tooths long-stewed water-brew. The water,
however, contains many impurities and bits, and is unclean. You are thirsty, but not
that thirsty.
The thirst makes you think. You and your partner decide to make a water filter from the
parts available for sale from Long-Tooth Morgan to clean the water. You check your
pockets and find that between you, you have a plentiful sum of 300 gold bullions. You
must decide how to spend these coins to create a functional water filter, so you can
turn Long-Tooths long-stewed water-brew into filtered, clean water.
 Narrative Story Arc

It was a rough night at sea, and you found yourself knocked overboard during the
height of the storm. As fate would have it, you were washed ashore on a nearby island.
After some exploration, you have found another member of your crew and discovered
that the only other inhabitant on the island is a merchant, who goes by the name of
Long-Tooth Morgan. Long-Tooth Morgan owns everything on the island, but is willing
to part with his items for a small fee.
You and your shipmate are stranded, and desperately thirsty. You must drink, but you
cannot drink from the sea because it is far too salty. As a gesture of good will, Long-
Tooth Morgan offers you a drink of Long-Tooths long-stewed water-brew. The water,
however, contains many impurities and bits, and is unclean. You are thirsty, but not
that thirsty.
The thirst makes you think. You and your partner decide to make a water filter from the
parts available for sale from Long-Tooth Morgan to clean the water. You check your
pockets and find that between you, you only have XXX gold bullions. You must
carefully decide how to spend these coins to create a functional water filter, so you can
turn Long-Tooths long-stewed water-brew into filtered, clean water.
 Merchant Long-Tooth Morgans Shopping Menu

Material Price
Plastic Bottle $45
Sand (per handful) $8
Gravel (per handful) $12
Pebbles (per dozen) $7
Stones (sold in groups of six) $6
Filter Paper (per sheet) $25
Filter Paper (two sheets) $40
Filter Paper (three sheets) $50
Cotton Wool Balls (each) $1
Cotton Pads (each) $3
Charcoal (sold in bags) $45
 What do all the different materials do?
Material Function
Plastic Bottle This is the physical body/ casing for your water filter. It
is a must buy, as you cannot build your water filter
without one.
Sand This fine, coarse material blocks smaller contaminants
from passing through. It blocks everything and only
water will pass through. It is best used with another,
larger blocking agent to prevent it from being displaced
or clogged.
Gravel This gritty substance blocks the majority of particles,
both large and small, however, it may allow the tiniest
pieces of grit through.
Pebbles Good at blocking large particles from travelling through
the filter.
Stones Only blocks the really big physical contaminants. If
used, this is best used as an introductory layer.
Filter Paper Only liquids can pass through filter paper, and this
makes it ideal for stopping all physical contaminants.
The paper is delicate, however, and may rip if used by
itself without the support of other materials. It can be
used to stop as a last line of defence to stop your other
materials from passing through the filter. Multiple layers
of filter paper help improve its strength.
Cotton Wool Super absorbent and good at blocking physical
Balls particles, although the shape makes them fragile
against large particles. As the balls absorb the water,
and only pass through water they cannot hold, they
slow down the filtration process. It can be used as a
last line of defence, although it recommended you use
something else to pack the balls tightly, as they are
easily moved.
Cotton Pads Quite absorbent and great at physically blocking
particles. Their shape and layers strengthens them,
making them less fragile and better at their job. They
may move if not packed well, and will slow down the
filtration process due to their capacity to absorb. It can
be used as a last line of defence to prevent your
blocking agents from passing through the filter.
Charcoal Charcoal is the ultimate cleaning agent. It has a short
life span, however, and must therefore be made to do
as little work in the cleaning process as possible to
prolong life.
 Home-made water filter Prompt Sheet

This water filter is to give you an idea of a possible solution to the problem. It is not
necessarily the best solution. Consider it more of a guideline or prompt, than
instructions as such.
Map to additional Resources

Water Filter
Prompt Sheet

Material Information Sheet

 Water Filter Performance Rubric

Criteria: Budding Developing Proficient Excelling

Filtering System The water that came out
looked very similar to what
went into our filter.
Team Work My partner and I did not work
as a team.
Budget Requirements We struggled to stay within
the budget.
Did your water filter perform as expected?
The filtered water doesn't look The filtered water looks reasonably The water looks clean, clear, and could
okay to drink, but looks okay to clear, and could possibly be clean have come from a tap.
use on the garden. enough to be given to pets.
My partner and I worked My partner and I worked well to achieve My partner and I worked effectively and
together. our goal. collaborated together to create something
we are proud of.
We managed to stay within the We were able to stay within the budget We created a water filter that fulfilled the
budget. and created a water filter that worked to budget requirements and effectively
some extent. cleaned the water.
Questions to ask yourself

Why do you think it performed in the way that it did?

What roles did the different parts of your water filter play?

Did you enjoy today's learning task and why?

Give the water droplet a face that best describes your learning experience today.