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