Career Pathway
Development Project
LESSON: "TELL ME HOW"
Unit 4 Lesson 1
Teacher Guide
Lesson
Title: Tell
me how!
Pathway(s)
Addressed:
All
Submitted
by: Ray
Benson
Date: May 2000
Age:
8th grade
Prerequisite
lessons/knowledge: General knowledge for this grade level. :
Teacher
Directed / Student Implemented
Time
frame: One class period
Alaska
State Content Standards:
A. A student should be able to speak and write well for a
variety of
purposes and audiences.
A student who meets the content standard should:
1. apply elements of effective writing and speaking; these elements include
ideas, organization, vocabulary, sentence structure, and personal style;
Employability
/ (Scans)
Basic Skills: reading, writing
Locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and in
documents.
Communicates thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing; and creates
documents such as directions.
Overview:
Student will exercise ability to create concise instructions from his own
creations and will also follow instructions written by a fellow student.
Objectives:
One critical
skill, concise writing, will be enhanced. Student can evaluate his own ability
from hands on experience, both in reading and in writing concise instructions.
Resources/Materials:
Individual
supplies of building blocks for each student. Paper (plain and lined) Pencil
Vocabulary:
concise,
enhance, organization, logical order, instructions, technical, manipulate
Classroom
Setting: Students
need table space for individual manipulation of blocks. Individual students need
a potential partner for the last half of the lesson.
Activities: Each student will receive
a supply of Lego's or other similar building
blocks consisting of several sizes and shapes, perhaps several colors and
several colors.
Instructions:
[Printable handout for each student involved]
1)
Working alone, construct a design, using all of the blocks.
2) As you look at the figure you have constructed, write
detailed, concise and complete directions to build the exact same figure
with these blocks.
3)
Check your instructions carefully for accuracy. If you feel it is needed, use a diagram for clarity.
4) Dismantle the object.
5)
Pass this set of instructions to your partner. Do not give any hints.
6)
Your partner will attempt to reconstruct the object EXACTLY as you built it.
7)
Each "Partner" times how long this rebuilding activity takes.
8) Do not watch, you will at this same time be
Community
Connections: This
activity was suggested by a presenter from industry who stated that
communication in the workplace, especially instructions clearly given and or
written, is essential for a successful team relationship at work.
Assessment:
If the partner is unable to reconstruct an exact duplicate, have the creator
attempt the task using his own directions.
This
problem will then be recognized as one of semantics. Either the second partner
is unable to relate to creator's text, or the creator is unable to express
himself clearly.
Student
will assess the situation for himself and decide where the problem has arisen.
***Try
again! Keep trying until you can be successful in expressing yourself AND are
successful in translating another's words and instructions.
Write
a short summary giving your evaluation of the activity.
SUMMARY:
How many attempts were necessary to reconstruct a specific item using
directions?
Was
there a problem? What was it?
If
revisions were made, what did you learn about expressing yourself?