Introduction chapter one. The features of linking activities

The object of the research: Learning linking activities within a lesson.
The subject of the research: working on linking activities within a lesson
The aim of the research: to review the features of linking activities within a lesson, and discuss and also is to present an overview of linking activities within a lesson.
The practical value is in using theoretical and practical aspects of the research.
The tasks of the investigation include:
- to review Linking ideas, activities and lessons;
- to review Lessons: Link Activities;
- to review Lesson plan on links and guiding controls;
- to review Lesson Planning and Staging.
The main language material of the work has been gathered from the Internet sources, literary works and the textbooks in English literature of various authors. Thus, writers, their works, the evidence of modernity in words, their definitions and examples in which the words are used, are taken from the authentic English sources, so that the evidence of the research results could be doubtless.
The theoretical and practical value of the paper lies in its applicability to the English literature, General Linguistics and practical English classes.
The structure of the work consists of the Introduction, two chapters,four plans, conclusion and references.
CHAPTER ONE. THE FEATURES OF LINKING ACTIVITIES
1.1.Linking ideas, activities and lessons
In the primary classroom, even though teachers and students generally spend the day together, it cannot be assumed that students will experience their learning as coherent, connected or cumulative. Students need help to see and build connections within and beyond any immediate interaction or activity. It is essential that students understand how a specific teaching task and idea fits within and contributes to their learning in the longer term and across the whole sequence of unit/topic tasks. Scott, Mortimer and Ametller (2011) propose pedagogical link-making as a key aspect of teaching and learning scientific conceptual knowledge. They argue that both teachers and students need to be engaged with link-making – the teacher to make the link available and the students to actively make connections.¹ If link-making is not addressed through teaching, it is unlikely to emerge naturally as part of students’
Mary used resources from the Harnessing the Sun resources with her year 4 students. They explored solar power and made pizza box solar cookers.This case study research was undertaken with a primary teacher who used Science Learning Hub resources in her classroom with her 25 year 4 students. The teacher, Mary (a pseudonym), had 10 years of teaching experience, but this was the first year she had taught such young students (aged 7–8 years). This study investigated how Mary used the Harnessing the Sun resources. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted with Mary and the students. Analysis of the data was guided by the research question: How did Mary make visible the links between the ideas, activities and lessons so her students experienced their learning as a coherent whole?
Mary began each lesson with a plenary session to recap the previous tasks and ideas. She asked students questions that helped them remember and connect to what had happened previously. Opening plenaries were also used to signal and develop the goals for the current lesson. Mary concluded each lesson with a review of that day’s learning and sometimes foreshadowed what would happen in the following lesson. In her talk, she made explicit the links between the ideas that travelled across lessons. This linking talk helped her students keep track of the multi-layered nature of the science learning they experienced over time.Mary set aside wall space for a cumulative display of the students’ work. She posted student work on the wall display between lessons. The display provided an evolving record of the tasks the students had undertaken and their thinking. The wall display expanded the time students devoted to thinking about the science ideas as they spent time viewing and talking about what was displayed. Student comments indicate that they understood both the purpose and worth of a wall display of their learning.
Mary used worksheets to focus and resource interaction as students moved between small-group and whole-class activities. In the photographic sequence that follows we see (from left) a group designing an investigation, sharing this with the whole class, undertaking an experiment using the method the class developed and recording the results on a class display.
The use of materials in this way helped students to connect ideas over contexts and time.Mary was alert to opportunities to build science connections in other curricula.Mary taught the students how to write play scripts so they could write a play about solar cooking. She provided time in art for students to design the costumes and props for characters in the play, which was part of the class presentation of their learning about solar energy to other classes. When students came to school and told her about how they had made pizza box solar cookers and had been doing solar cooking at home, she set aside class time so they could share these experiences with everyone.Mary concluded that teaching science over time provides students with space to think over ideas, to deliberate on developing ideas and to generate new ideas. However, for students to form links and build coherence, she noted she needed to plan and provide opportunities for her students to make connections and see continuity – she could not leave this to chance.
Tips for Linking Lessons
One recent teaching trend that has been cropping up in many classrooms of late is the concept of ‘The Flipped Classroom’ and the use of more project-based learning activities in schools.
Experiential teaching methods, such as these, have been enabled thanks to the increase of educational technologies, which have made a huge impact on classroom learning over the last couple of years.
The traditional model of the teacher reciting facts at the front of the classroom is no longer a paradigm that accurately reflects how learning is achieved in the modern world. Students now carry the world’s information in their pockets and they have learned naturally the importance of questioning, testing, and in some circumstances, criticising the information they absorb. This is why teaching techniques like the flipped classroom will become even more valuable to learners of the 21^st Century; truly equipping them with the skills to navigate through the unpredictable and ever-changing information age we live in².
This post will outline some tips on how to bring your lessons into the real world in a way that will engage and motivate pupils to develop a lifelong love of learning.
Benefits of Experiential, Real-world Learning
The benefits of hands-on lesson plans, besides reflecting the nature of how information is now transmitted and absorbed, are as follows;

• 
  Enables teachers and students to practice thinking across academic disciplinesin a way that feels organic and more akin to how learning is realised once the pupils have left formal education.
  
• 
  Experiential, project-based learning opportunities can befit not only students, but the surrounding environment, local neighbourhood, or even a setting on a global scale- if said project addresses real-world issues within its content.
  
• 
  For students who struggle to learn in the traditional way, having the opportunity to test and experiment at their own pace gives them the space and opportunity to put the information into their own context, thus aiding recall in a more relatable way than the simple memorisation of facts.
  
• 
  Project-based learning encourages higher order thinking skills such as analysing, evaluating and creating, which therefore improves the students’ cognitive abilities.
  
• 
  With collaborative exercises, students also learn methods of successful group communication, which will be applicable to them in the world of work.
  
• 
  Organisational skills within pupils can be enhanced with project-based learning, as they will learn how to plan, meet deadlines and solve problems along the way.
  

Tips for Putting Lesson Plans into a Real-World Context

•