Transcript UNIT DEVELOPMENT IN SPLIT CLASSES

UNIT DEVELOPMENT
IN SPLIT CLASSES
Reference
Combined Grades: Strategies to Reach a Range of Learners
in Kindergarten to Grade 6, Ontario Ministry of
Education and Training, 2007
Advantages of Split Grades
• Social and academic advantages to combined or split
grades include:
- students do better in the area of socio- emotional
development
- students develop more positive peer interactions
- social skills develop better
- students do more collaborative and independent
learning
- students display greater feelings of comfort and
security, and show a more positive self-concept
- students show higher satisfaction with achievements
- there are more opportunities for student leadership
- academic performance is as strong as in single grade
classes
- help teachers focus on students’ individual learning
needs
“ The older students really get to know their stuff
through explaining it, younger classmates get
peer role models, and everyone learns the
importance of helping people”
- Trish Snyder
Today’s Parent, 2005
Seeing the Differences Differently
• Split classes are an opportunity to help students
see and acknowledge the differences in their
classmates and to see those differences as assets.
• Students have more opportunities to see and
understand that learning happens at different
times for different people.
Factors to Consider in Organizing
Classes
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Students’ needs
Students’ interests
Social skills
Number of students in each grade
Number of boys and girls in each class
Student achievement in literacy and numeracy
Peer relationships
Student strengths
Teaching Units of Study in Split
Grades
• Two distinct approaches are possible:
1. The teacher addresses new learning to two
different groups at different times.
2. Common units are built around “big ideas”
or themes, while different specific content is
addressed by each group.
Planning Considerations for Split
Grade Units
• Align related topics and strands ( Year at a Glance).
• Focus on related “big ideas” and common concepts and skills.
• Consider commonalities that may be possible in culminating
tasks.
• Consider grade and student appropriate variations of content,
process, and product.
• Focus writing instruction on the conventions that will be
required for assessment tasks.
• Select common or related reading materials.
• Make connections among different subjects where the two
grades can be aligned.
Designing Unit Plans
• Focus instruction on the “big ideas” or fundamental
concepts and/or skills common to the two grades.
• Look for common:
- themes
- big ideas/ guiding questions
- skills
- processes
- strategies
- products
Use Inquiry Approaches
• The teacher becomes the guide.
• Students research different topics with common
themes.
• Differentiate performance tasks for individual learning
needs
• Grade specific content can be studied.
HOW?
• Focus on developing grade appropriate knowledge and skills
• Vary content, process, and products.
• Use the same resources where possible to group students by
language skill ability.
• Plan common lessons. Follow the new learning portion with
different consolidation and application opportunities for each
grade.
• Teach responsively….Re-teach and restructure groups as needed.
• Use jigsaw approaches and other cooperative learning strategies.
• Teach similar lesson when possible (arts, P.E., health)
Seating in a Split Grade
• Establish three distinct instructional areas in the
classroom:
- lower grade students’ seating area
- upper grade students’ seating area
- class meeting area
Flexibility
• Flexible seating use to respond to evolving
needs is critical to managing flow of students in
a split grade class.
• Create easy access to learning materials.
• Establish strong routines.
• Ensure many times during the day when you will
be available for discussion with individuals from
either grade.
Routines
• Early in the school year, establish routines for:
- entry and dismissal
- submission and storage of notes from home and daily agendas
- transitions
- movement
- problem solving for common occurrences ( e.g., bathroom routines)
- materials management
- individual and buddy reading
- book selection
- procedures for handing work that is finished or not finished
- options when work is completed
- clean-up procedures
- stages for reading and writing workshops
- guided reading schedules
- daily agenda
Anchor Charts
• These provide references for students when you
are busy with the other group.
• Create them with students ( so they know what
is on each one).
• Print large enough so that each chart is readable
across the room.
Common Anchor Charts
• T-charts of social skills for daily practices such
as partner reading, effective listening.
• T-charts for work habits, problem solving,
independent work.
• Comprehension strategy charts ( sentence
starters).
• Sample graphic organizers.
Common Anchor Charts
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Classroom rules and responsibility lists.
Classroom helper charts.
Class routine reminders.
Reading strategy reminders.
Alphabet lines/ number lines.
Daily schedule.
Word lists/word wall.
Writing forms and conventions.
Common Anchor Charts
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Writing elements or traits.
Media techniques.
Rubrics or criteria for achievement.
Shape and pattern charts.
Illustrations and/ or definitions of numeracy
terms.
• Higher level questioning prompts.
Formative Assessment
• Use frequent assessments that allow you to
gather information about the students’
development
Examples:
* reading records
* numeracy concept tasks
Planning For Differentiated
Instruction
• Regardless of the student’s grade, he/ she may
have difficulty accessing grade designed
materials because of variations in literacy
development.
• Teachers must have an awareness of each
student’s “zone of proximal development” to
plan for growth effectively.
Scaffolding
• Teachers must support students’ learning to the
level of need of each student.
• Effective scaffolding requires that the teacher
gradually shift the responsibility for the
application of the learning to the student as
their developing skills allow them to achieve
with success.
Explicit Instruction
• This is the first and strongest form of scaffolding.
• Steps in explicit instruction include:
1. Clearly state the learning goals to the student.
2. Explain how the student is to accomplish the task. Support memory of
these steps by:
- breaking the task into manageable steps
- recording the steps for students to refer to as they work
3. Show students what they are to do ( model and exemplify).
4. Scaffold as students apply the new learning. Gradually withdraw support to
move students closer to successful independent use.
5. Provide regular feedback about progress.
Flexible Groupings
• Allow for support to the level necessary,
regardless of grade level.
• Require larger blocks of time so that several
variations are possible within a block.
• The teacher strategically selects the use of
homogeneous or heterogeneous groups, or
individual conferencing to maximize learning.
Cooperative Learning
• Gives students an opportunity to optimize
learning through purposeful talk.
• Allows students to develop friendships that
might otherwise not happen.
• Students can experience the satisfaction that
comes with helping others.
Mini-Lessons or Re-Teaching
• Teachers lay out their year, month, week, and
day to be prepared.
• They lay out each lesson block to be flexible and
responsive to students’ evolving needs.
Stages within a Mini-Lesson
1.
Instruction of the whole class through a direct
instruction approach ( modeling).
2.
Instruction for small groups or individuals- some
students practice and apply new learning with strong
scaffolding.
3.
Instruction of the whole class- students come
together again to share, reflect, and consolidate new
learning, especially by applying new concept language
to what they have done.
Choosing Learning Materials for
Split Class
• In selecting learning materials, the teacher needs
to determine the materials in the context of:
- what is logistically manageable
- what materials are available
- what the purpose is for the materials
Choosing Lesson Problems
• To create common problems across grades:
- examine common or similar expectations
- examine the core resource materials that are
available ( e.g., math texts)
- adapt available materials so that they combine,
extend, or integrate grade-specific goals
-anticipate several possible answers and approaches
to the new problem ( anticipatory schema) so that you
can be ready to scaffold each one
Consider All Possibilities
• Regardless of grade level, students faced with a
common problem, will group into some predictable
categories as they attempt to solve the problem.
• These include:
1. Same lesson problem, same problem prompts, same range of students
responses.
2.Same lesson problem, same problem prompts, differentiated student
responses.
3. Same lesson problems, differentiated problem prompts, differentiated
student responses.
4. Different lesson problems, different problem prompts, different
student responses
Management in a Split Grade
• Plan lessons so that students are engaged in
different parts of the phases of instruction at
the same time.
EXAMPLE:
- Grade 3 students are involved in new
learning
- Grade 4 students are involved in
consolidation and application
Assessment in a Split Grade
Assessment is:
- frequent
- unobtrusive
- authentic
- respectful
- related to individual growth
Recorded carefully!