Things of the sea and the river

This lesson is derived from the Teacher's Guide, Assignment Sheet 1

Grade and topic

Science - Social Studies

Curriculum references

To know about one's customs and traditions and the science behind them

Concept / Topic To Teach

Study of nature and traditional Marovo ways of interacting with nature

General Goal(s)

To study and write stories about Marovo things of the sea and the river

Specific Objectives

Objectives

Write a one-page story and illustrate with drawings and photographs Use the Reef and Rainforest book and wiki to research the story, and upload collected student work to the wiki

Required Materials

• OLPC laptops if available, or the school Windows laptop
• Reef and Rainforest books and access to the wiki
• Paper and pens
• Digital camera
• Voice recorders (mp3 players, mobile phones with recorders, etc)

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In)

• Ask the class if they know any Marovo custom stories and discuss
• Identify with the class elements from the custom stories that feature in the Reef and Rainforest book and wiki
• Explain the activity, to write a one page story and complete it with the extended home work

Step-By-Step Procedures

Activity

Write the story topics on the board: VIVINEINA KURA MAKOTO: The story of the basketwork trap for triggerfish VIVINEINA MORUMORU: The story of the large woven net for catching sea turtles VIVINEINA KUARAO: The story of the long circle of vines used to trap large numbers of fish on the reef VIVINEINA RUMU: The story of the dugong VIVINEINA DEO: The story of the mangrove mussel VIVINEINA KAMAJE: The story of the freshwater prawn VIVINEINA MEKA TINGITONGA PU OMIA HOI PA BUKA: The story of something you have read in the book. Sit the students in six mixed groups and encourage them to discuss ideas between them. Give each group one of the topics 1-7. Ask them to look in the book and see if they can find any information on their topic. Encourage them to search the wiki on the laptops as well, if available. Ask the students to write down a list of any Marovo things and names that they find in relation to their topic, in both Marovo and the English translations. Using the book and wiki to assist, ask the students to draw or use the laptops to paint illustrations for their story. As time allows, the students can choose other stories from the list and repeat the exercise. As the students are working, you can interrupt from time to time to point out references in the book, or demonstrate wiki articles on the laptops. You can also copy on the board the students' lists and discuss them with the class.

Plan For Independent Practice

Assignment

Ask the students as homework, to choose their favourite from the list of stories, and to do research by asking family or community people who know about the things. If they have a laptop, take notes or even record the person talking. Secondly, they can start to write their story with pictures, on paper or using an OLPC laptop. If they use a laptop, they can use Write, Joke Machine (interactive scrapbook) or even eToys to write their stories.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set)

More than one lesson is needed to complete their stories, as they need to do their research. In the follow up lesson, the students can focus on producing their stories.

If time allows they can then tell their stories to the class (in Marovo).

The teacher can work on collecting together the students' work and selecting some examples for uploading to the wiki.

Assessment Based On Objectives

• The student's stories
• Participation in group working
• Evidence of research

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