This Term our senior ESOL students have
integrated science and poetry with the aim of extending their knowledge of
scientific phenomenon (the rainbow) and the language associated with its
existence.
SOLO
Taxonomy was used to establish each student's knowledge of ‘rainbows.’
Please click on this link to support your
understanding of SOLO Taxonomy and its uses for assessment purposes.
Initial responses to the question, ' what do you know about a rainbow?' ranged from
The
Rainbow:
a)
is a half circle
b)
has lots of colours in it
c)
comes out after the rain
d)
is really bright
e)
doesn’t really have a pot of
gold at the end of it
f)
will be seen when sunshine
bounces off raindrops
Scientific terminology associated with
rainbows was used by one student at pretest stage. Following an exploration of reflection and refraction of light most students had a much better understanding of why a rainbow exists.
Poetry was used as a tool to develop descriptive language features. A number of students found poetry to be a strength. While one group explored the use of rhyming couplets, most poems were written using free verse.
We include a copy of the written poems followed by a movie that integrates the illustration and recording. We hope that you
find these interesting.
You may like to visit this site on
rainbows.
These movies were produced to provide students with a record of their work, an opportunity to present their work to an audience and to set a next step learning goal that would further develop their skills in English speaking and writing.
Such
Beauty
Created with water and light,
A gift from God
Just like butterflies that colour the sky,
so too, does the rainbow
Colours that make us feel excited.
It’s like we have our heart in the sky.
Children love to see it everytime
because they think it’s magic
It’s a really special type of magic
It disappears in front of your eyes
just as if a magician had waved his wand
Water and sunlight make the rainbow
Written by Uday ( Year 6)
Rainbows
Such magnificent colours
are the rainbow’s colours
Colours of the seasons
Red on the top, and indigo on the bottom
A
rainbow’s like a bridge to heaven
So close, and yet so far away.
The magnificent rainbow is a fantastic
sight
When the colours mix together, we have
light!
Written by Akki (Year 5)
The
Rainbow
Amazing colours appear above me
like an archway across the sky.
All the colours we see are above the ground
If you could see all of the rainbow,
you’d see a perfect circle.
So where does that archway take us?
To the clouds up high, that’s where.
Nabin
(Year 4)
Beautiful
Rainbow
When the rainbow goes away
it’s sad
and we wonder why it goes away
so quickly.
Maybe it’s magic,
or it might have just disappeared
all by itself.
Nisha
(Year 5)
Rainbows
– What a magnificent sight!
So refreshing, so exciting to my eye
It’s round and so beautiful.
The colours of the rainbow are refracted,
Split into seven different shades.
Everybody’s favourite colour is in the
rainbow
Cold colours, blue and green, indigo and
violet,
Warm colours, red, orange and yellow
They’re lined up in a perfect way.
Divik
(Year 5)nd
