Section One:
Project/Lesson Overview
Grade: Six
Subject: English Language
Arts
Lesson Title: The Labours of Firefighters Sparks Learning
Lesson Description: Students
will examine various photographs from the “All in a Day’s Work” online exhibit
from the New Brunswick Museum that highlights public servants,
specifically firefighters. Through journal writing, interviews, poetry,
podcasts, skits and short stories, students will discover the meaning of the
term “labour” and learn more about the world of firefighting as a career.
Time Required: 23 - 25 x 45 Minute Classes
Specific Curriculum Outcomes:
Grade 6 English Language
Arts
Students
will be expected to speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect
on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences.
- ask and
respond to questions to seek clarification or explanation of ideas and
concepts
- defend and/or
support their opinions with evidence
- listen
critically to others’ ideas or opinions and points of view
Students
will be expected to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly,
and to respond personally and critically.
- use word choice and emphasis, making a conscious
attempt to produce a desired effect
- give and follow instructions and respond to a
variety of questions and instructions
- engage in,
respond to and evaluate a variety of oral presentations and other texts
Students
will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of
literature, information, media, and visual texts.
- reflect on and
discuss their own processes and strategies in reading and viewing
Students
will be expected to use writing and other ways of representing to explore,
clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings;
and to use their imagination.
- use a range of strategies in writing and other
ways of representing to
- frame
questions and design investigations to answer their questions
- find
topics of personal importance
- record,
develop, and reflect on ideas
- compare
their own thoughts and beliefs to those of others
-
describe feelings, reactions, values, and attitudes
- record
and reflect on experiences and their responses to them
-
formulate goals for learning - practice and apply strategies for monitoring
learning
- make language
choices to enhance meaning and achieve interesting effects in imaginative
writing and other ways of representing
Students
will be expected to create texts collaboratively and independently, using a
variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
- create written and media texts, using an
increasing variety of forms
-
demonstrate understanding that particular forms require the use of specific
features, structures, and patterns
- address the demands of an increasing variety of
purposes and audiences
- make
informed choices of form, style, and content for specific audiences and
purposes
- invite responses to early drafts of their
writing/media productions
- use
audience reaction to help shape subsequent drafts
- reflect
on their final drafts from a reader’s/viewer’s/ listener’s point of view
Students
will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and
other ways of representing, and to enhance clarity, precision, and
effectiveness.
- select from a range of pre-writing, drafting,
revising, editing, strategies to develop effective
- pieces of writing and other representations
- use the conventions of written language in final
products
- use technology with increasing proficiency to
create, revise, edit, and publish texts
- demonstrate
commitment to shaping pieces of writing and other representations
Section Two: Project/Lesson Implementation
Equipment/Materials Required:
Lesson Procedures/Teaching Strategies:
- The teacher will write the word
“labour” on the SMART Board and ask students for suggestions on the meaning
of the word. Students will be asked to use the word in context in a
sentence.
- The teacher will lead a brief discussion
on labour. Suggestions of questions may be: Do you have to be paid to do
“labour”? Does volunteering constitute “labour”? What is manual labour? What
are different types of labour that you do around school and your home?
- The teacher will lead a
brainstorming discussion with the class about the types of jobs or careers
that people see in their neighbourhood on a daily basis. Possible suggestions
are mail carrier, newspaper carrier, milk delivery person, couriers,
trades people, crossing guards, police officers and fire fighters.
- The teacher will explain to the
class that over the next few days, students will be examining the world of
labour through the eyes of firefighters. As a homework assignment, the
teacher will ask the students to brainstorm and list in their Language
Arts notebook, all of the job responsibilities of a firefighter.
- The teacher will use the
photograph of Fire Chief, John Kerr taken in 1904 (1960.43A) as a writing prompt for journal writing purposes.
Using an LCD projector and a computer, the teacher will display the
photograph and provide the following information with the photo: Fire
Chief, John Kerr, was the fire chief in Saint John for thirty-one years. What do
you think it would be like to be a fire chief for a day? What are some of
the roles and responsibilities you would have in this position?
- The teacher will invite a representative of the
fire department to come into class to talk with the students. Students may
conduct internet research to gain some information prior to the
firefighter visitation. Topics to investigate should include: working
conditions, nature of the work, qualifications, career advancement and job
outlook. It is strongly recommended that the students prepare questions
for the firefighter in advance -- questions about fire fighting as a
career should be the main focus. For instance, students should inquire as
to the type of training that is required to become a firefighter,
occupational hazards of the job and salary. Then, students can use the
information they gather to write a "news story" about the
firefighter's visit. Students may also want to podcast the interview if
they have the proper software and equipment.
- Using the information gathered
through the firefighter interview and by examining the photographs from three
fires in Saint John, New Brunswick (1989.83.471,
1989.83.453 and 1989.83.454), students will be asked to write a diary
entry entitled “A Day in the Life
of a Firefighter” in their writing journals. Attention should be paid to
the types of things student notice in the photograph, and also the types
of feelings that firefighters may have while fighting such blazes.
- Using an LCD
projector and a computer, the teacher will display the
photograph of the fire on King
Street in St.
Stephen, New Brunswick (1989.7.170).
The class will discuss what is portrayed in the photo. The teacher will
ask the class to create a cinquain poem based upon what they see and feel
by examining the photograph. If the students have never written a cinquain
poem before, the teacher will have to instruct the class on its format and
share examples of cinquain poetry with
students. Once students have finished their poems, the cinquains can be
shared with the entire class.
- Building upon the last activity, the teacher
will use the photograph of the McCormick Building Fire in Saint John, New Brunswick (1989.83.450) as a means of reviewing personification with
students. After a brief discussion, using specific examples, the teacher
will establish with students that personification is the attribution of
human qualities (such as emotion) and actions to nonhuman objects or ideas. Students will be asked to personify
a piece of firefighting equipment, such as a helmet or hose and either
create a concrete poem, free verse poem or a short story. The teacher will
encourage students to create a list of action verbs to describe the
equipment, and to incorporate the 5 W’s (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) in
their writing.
- To
continue with the topic of equipment, the teacher will have students
compare and contrast the fire uniforms and equipment used in the past as
compared to present day. Students should understand the advances that have occurred in fire
fighting. Using an LCD projector and a
computer, the teacher will display the following photographs: X9978; 32563; LS- AA177; 1960.43C; 32562; and 32564. Students will then use the
Internet for research purposes to a write brief history of firefighting
equipment and protective clothing. Using Microsoft Publisher or SMART
Notebook software, students will create a brochure or presentation that
will showcase their findings.
- Fire fighting
involves hazardous conditions and long, irregular hours; therefore, fire
fighters live and work as a team. Using photographs (1957.137 and X11004), the teacher will instruct students to
study the photographs, and create a short skit on what life would be like
at the fire station or at the scene of a fire. Attention should be paid to
the special bond
that most firefighters describe as a “brotherhood”. In creating their
skits, students will be asked to put themselves in the role of a
firefighter. The teacher may lead a discussion on some of the thoughts they
may share and ask a few leading questions to get students on the proper
track. Some sample suggestions are: What do you feel when the fire
alarm sounds at the station?; What would it feel like to crawl down a
black hallway with searing heat pushing you to the floor?; What thoughts
would go through your mind as you grope your way, in zero visibility,
through a mountain of clutter, doing a primary search for victims?; and
what would it be like to be a female firefighter in the “brotherhood”?
- As a culminating
activity for the unit, the teacher will have students write and produce
public service announcements on fire safety to be played in their school.
These PSA’s can either be in a video or audio format. Videos can either be
shown during a school assembly and podcasts can be played during morning
announcements.
Suggested Assessment Strategies:
- Construct checklists or rubrics that assess students'
abilities to achieve the selected objectives.
- Record anecdotal notes as students speak, listen, and
write to identify their strengths and instructional needs.
- Conduct formal and informal observations
- Involve students in the self-assessment of their
learning processes and final products
- Students
should be evaluated on both their learning processes and final products
Section
Three: Project/Lesson Resources
Teacher Generated Resources: All of the teacher generated resources contributed to
support this lesson are available for download by clicking on the link(s)
below:
Supplementary Resources:
Web-Based Resources:
Lesson
rubric was generated by Rubistar:
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Podcasting
http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/pedagogy/cil/lead/readwrite/podcasting.html
Disclaimer: The recommended web-resources included here have been
scrutinized for their grade and age appropriateness; however, contents on links
on the Internet change continuously. It is advisable that teachers preview all
links before recommending them to students.
Section Four:
Additional Information
Modifications: For students who need modification,
it can be left up to the teacher’s discretion as to the assignment length.
Students on modified programs will be expected to write less, and may increase
their use of the computer to complete assignments. Where required, students can
also work in small groups throughout the unit to assist one another in
assignment completion.
Additional Comments:
The
teacher may want to hold a class fire safety poster contest to get them in the
spirit of the topic. Firefighters at Work
should be the theme of the contest. Winning posters can be displayed in a
prominent location of the school.
A cinquain
is a five line poem.
Line 1:
|
one word
(subject or noun)
|
Line 2:
|
two words
(adjectives) that describe line 1
|
Line 3:
|
three words
(action verbs) that relate to line 1
|
Line 4:
|
four words
(feelings or a complete sentence) that relates to line 1
|
Line 5:
|
one word
(synonym of line 1 or a word that sums it up)
|
Teachers in Saint John, New Brunswick, can actually go to the Fire Fighters
Museum. The following is a brief description and contact information:
SAINT JOHN FIREFIGHTERS'
MUSEUM (OLD ENGINE NO. 2 HOUSE)
(National Historic
Site)
|
Designated:
1995
The Firefighters' Museum
is located beside the County Courthouse at 24 Sydney Street, and is the site of the No. 2 Engine House.
It was built in 1840, survived the Great Fire of 1877, and was recently
designated as a National Historic Site. The Museum houses a collection of
firefighting tools from the nineteenth and twentieth century and a large
collection of photographs pertaining to firefighting in Saint John. The second floor
features a room dedicated to the Great Fire of 1877 including photographs of
before and after the fire as well as the rebuilding period.
Operating dates:
Year-round (off season- by appointment)
Hours of operation:
June - September
Mon - Fri; 9:30 am - 4:30pm
Sat 10:00 am - 4:00pm
Sun - by appointment only
For information,
contact:
Saint John Firefighters' Museum
24 Sydney Street (Uptown)
Tel: (506) 633-1840
Credits: N/A
Contact Information Including Name,
Email, School and District:
Dawn Lamb
dawn.lamb@nbed.nb.ca
Lorne Middle School
School District 8