Unit of Study: Memoir, First Grade
This unit of study can be utilized for other grade levels by adjusting the stack of texts and the grade level standards. The unit of study format can also be replicated with a variety of genres and writing crafts.
Part 1: What will you study? Why?
Ø We will study memoirs because first graders will have many of life experiences to write about. We will introduce this in the fall to capture the summer memories that are still vibrant in minds.
Ø First graders typically write about their own experiences, so this highlights this aspect. Writing from personal experience is something that they excel in from the start. This is also the grade that students really tackle reading and writing. Katie Wood Ray states that like experienced authors, children “write about things they know about from everyday life…they write about their interests and passions…they write about the same things over and over” (2004, p. 62). A unit of study on memoirs only capitalizes on this.
Ø By knowing the demographics of the area, we can be culturally responsive within the study. We can also learn the philosophy of the school and build upon this. Their use of writing workshop will only further build our set-up and progress of this study.
Ø Standards:
o (1.1.16) Vocabulary and concept development
o (1.4) Students discuss ideas for group stories and other writing. Students write clear sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Students progress through stages of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing multiple drafts.
o (1.5) At Grade 1, students begin to write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Students use their understanding of the sounds of words to write simple rhymes. Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Standard 4. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience and purpose of writing.
o (1.6) Students write using Standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level.
Ø We plan on compiling all the memoirs of the students (who wish to share) and make a classroom text the students can check out and read. In this way, we will have a classroom of individuals come together as a whole, a unit. This writing unit of study will help our community of learners learn about each other. It also will serve as a sample of writing that they can read (their own) (Wood Ray, 2006, p. 160).
What are your guiding questions for the study? (Wood Ray, 2006)
Ø What kinds of prewriting work do writers of memoirs do?
Ø How are memoirs crafted in ways that give a personal connection to the reader?
Ø What kinds of topics or memories are appropriate for memoirs?
What are your goals? (Wood Ray, 2006)
Ø Students will publish at least one memoir at the end of this study.
Ø Students will include aspects of memoirs that they have studied into their own pieces.
Who will be your Mentors for Writing?
Ø Patricia Polacco will be one mentor because she has a wide selection of memoirs that showcase the variety that can be used in this genre and will give students examples of the different ways they can try to write their own memoir. We will utilize Thundercakes, My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, and The Trees of the Dancing Goats as anchor texts in our close study. These books represent experiences that first graders are likely to be able to relate to and are representative of the author looking back on a particular time in her life. They are also shorter than some of her other texts which is more representative of the length of a memoir we expect first-graders to write.
Ø Cynthia Rylant will be our second mentor because she offers a different style of memoir writing from Polacco, and provides text that first graders are more likely to use as independent reading. We will utilize When I was Young in the Mountains and Christmas in the Country for anchor texts in our close study because they offer a new style of memoir writing whereby the author uses repetitive text. They are also written in first person and past-tense which is typical of most memoirs.
What are your stacks of texts? Why?
Ø How did you gather the texts?: We began with the books suggested in Wood-Ray’s text, Study Driven (p.193-194) and read what we were able to find in the CRC. After we began reading the texts, we became more familiar with what a memoir looks like and we thought of other books we had already read that represented a memoir. Next, we looked at other texts that were written by the authors of the suggested texts. For example, we found that many of Patricia Polacco’s books were representative of memoirs.
Ø How did you decide on the tests?: We each read all of the texts and decided together if they were representative of memoirs before adding it to our list. We looked for stories that an author wrote of a specific experience or memory. Initially, we had a hard time deciphering between memoir and slice-of-life, but talked about these differences with peers to help us decide which titles should be included. We also collaborated with people from other classes who are teaching first grade about what texts they would include in a memoir study.
Stack of Texts:
Bunting, E. (2000). The Memory String. New York
Choi, Y. (2003). The Name Jar. Dragonfly Books.
DePaola, T. (1999).
26 Fairmount Avenue.New York
26 Fairmount Avenue.
DePaola, T. (2000). Here We All Are. New York
Hoffman, M. (2002). The Color of Home. Dial.
Johnson, A. (1991). One of Three. New York
Levine, E. (2007). Henry’s Freedom Box. New York
MacLachlan, P. (1994). All the Places to Love. New York
MacLachlan, P. (1980). Through Grandpa’s Eyes. New York
McKissack, P.C. (2001). Goin’ Someplace Special. New York
Polacco, P. (2007). The Lemonade Club. New York
Polacco, P. (1995). My Ol’ Man. New York
Polacco, P. (1994). My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. New York
Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York
Polacco, P. (1998). Thank you, Mr. Falker. New York
Polacco, P. (2000). The Butterfly. New York
Polacco, P. (1996). The Trees of the Dancing Goats. New York
Polacco, P. (1990). Thundercake. New York
Rylant, C. (2002). Christmas in the Country. New York
Rylant, C. (1982). When I was Young in the Mountains. New York
Spinelli, J. (1990). Maniac Magee. New York
Turner, A. (1987). Nettie’s Trip South. New York
Uchida, Y. (1976). The Bracelet. New York
Wiles, D. (2005). Freedom Summer. New York
Willems, M. (2004). Knuffle Bunny. New York
Woodson, J. (2002). Our Gracie Aunt. New York
Part 2: Setting the Stage:
Ø To set the stage for a memoir unit of study, we will display the text set in the classroom somewhere where all students can see the books, perhaps on a table near the front of the room. We will explain that the table is full of memoir examples, which we will be studying for the next few weeks. The wide variety of texts and authors will give students a sense of what they will be learning about, and where we are headed as a class. Then, we will ask students to engage in a gallery walk around the table, looking at the books, the authors, titles, and flipping through the text. After the students conduct the gallery walk, we will inform them that over the next few weeks, as we study the different kinds of memoirs, each student will create his/her own memoir about their personal experiences-just like the mentor writers have done.
Immersion:
Ø For the immersion phase of the study, we will begin each day of the immersion phase with a read aloud from one of our memoirs. We could read excerpts from Tomie DePaola’s books, or read an entire picture book. During the read aloud time, we will remind students what we are studying so they can look and listen with that focus in mind. After the read aloud, we will ask students about their first noticings and write them on chart paper to keep in the room during the study. Then we will ask students to explore more of the texts in trios as they begin making notes of things they notice in response to our guided questions:
o What kinds of prewriting work do writers of memoirs do?
o How are memoirs crafted in ways that give a personal connection to the reader?
o What kinds of topics or memories are appropriate for memoirs?
As the small groups explore the texts, they will write their noticings in their writer’s notebook, likely as a list. These can be words, phrases, or short sentences as well as quotes from something they liked from their readings. We could also ask students to put a sticky note on pages where they think the writer has done something interesting.
At the end of writer’s workshop, we will ask students to share what they have noticed in their books, and we will continue to add it to the chart. Additionally, during the immersion, we will ask students to look at other texts we could add to the ones we have already gathered. This means we will have some groups spend time in the library to read and search for more memoirs.
We will also study the authors themselves. We will read what Patricia Polacco and Cynthia Rylant have said about their writings. We will discuss where we can discover this information and how this can help us with our own writing.
Close Study:
Ø We will work from a “whole-class list of student noticings across text” for our close study (Wood Ray, 2006, p. 129). In this, we will take an extended day of writing workshop and work as a group. We will have a large piece of chart paper that we will record on with all the students’ noticings from the texts. We will have read-alouds, as well as time for the students to self-explore through books provided. This will give them a chance to place post-its on places that they think needs to be talked about or needs to be added to our noticings list. We would like the students to add things to the list as they notice them. So, after a read-aloud, we will chart noticings. When they are reading in groups, pairs, or individually, after the reading, they will approach the teacher with more noticings to add. This will enable everyone to be engaged and working, but also for the recording to take place.
Then, after we have generated our list, we will go through it and add anything that we have also noticed. Next, we will select a couple points that we think needs to be illustrated through conversation and further investigation. We will ask the students who noticed these things to show us where they saw it in the mentor texts and what they thought about them. This will begin our in-depth investigation. (Wood Ray, 2006, p. 132-133)
Ø We think that the whole group noticings is fitting for the age group. In first grade, they have not had as much experience with working individually, nor are they all at the same reading level. Therefore, working in pairs, groups, or as a whole will help cater to all levels in the class. Also, we think that it is important that the investigations stem from their noticings so that they have some ownership in the study. This creates a vested interest and will spur curiosity.
Ø In terms of the trade books, we would read the more difficult books aloud first so that the students can peruse them after they have been read to from them. Also, we want them to be familiar with not only how the memoirs look, but also sound (Wood Ray, 2004, p. 42). Thus, we will also have some guided reading with our memoir study. It will also be beneficial for the students to see the print while they hear the reading.
Writing Under the Influence:
Ø We will be inviting the students to take part in the writing work from the beginning. This is what Katie Wood Ray suggests is developmentally appropriate (2006, p.151).
Ø The students will know from the start that their expectation is to create a book, in the form of a memoir. This “big work” is suggested to them from the start (Wood Ray, 2004, p. 9).
Ø We fully understand that the children will be writing with “both written text and illustrations to make meaning” (Wood Ray, 2004, p.9). We also understand that the students will be at different levels with text, and will provide approximations of memoirs.
Ø We would like to chart what each student is basing their memoir on so as to help with accountability and for other students who may have suggestions to offer (Wood Ray, 2006, p. 157). For instance, Lavonne may be writing her memoir based on a time when she got her first pet. This will be placed on a chart and we can all help each other with ideas to add to our memoirs.
Ø We will be illustrating things that the authors do in the memoirs during read-aloud and minilessons. Then, we will ask the students to “try-it” in their writing notebooks (Wood Ray, 2006, p.158). These can be added to their memoirs, or they can choose to not add it. However, this will allow them the opportunity to read like a writer, as well as write like their mentor memoir texts.
Ø The students will peer-review each other’s works and will have a writer’s gallery to participate in within the class.
Ø Finally, the class will have a memoir book collection for the children to check-out and share with their families. This will help to create a classroom community, while also allowing a great avenue for children to read (Wood Ray, 2006, p. 160).
Ongoing Assessment to Guide Planning and Practice:
Ø We will gauge who uses their time in writing workshop effectively, while keeping in mind the age group and idiosyncrasies of writers. Anderson
Ø One type of assessment that we plan to do is “kidwatching.” Yetta Goodman has described it as “the best alternative to testing comes from direct and, in most cases, informal observations of the child in various situations by the classroom teacher” (O’Keefe, 1995, p. 64). We plan on having a system (whether it be a journal or post-it note folders) for each child so that we can observe every day in the classroom and add our teaching about process is taking hold in their work. (Wood Ray, 2004, p. 129). This will help us not only assess them, but also our own teaching.
Ø Another type of assessment is talking with the students. Anderson
Ø We will also have groups meeting for writing conferences. The outline provided in detail in Katie Wood Ray’s About the Authors is the set-up we would like to use in which students are actively working on their writing while we have brief conferences (which are not seen negatively) with individual writers. Obviously, students who need more guidance will have conferences more often, or may work in a pair or group at times.
Ø Through our informal assessments, we will be able to gauge the timeliness, usefulness, and effort being placed by the students in the memoir study. This will help us with a formal assessment (which will be discussed next), as well as prevent any students from “slipping through the cracks.”
Ø Formal Assessments: These will be done in order to see the whole picture of all the work. This will help with report cards or formal conferences that the school requires (or that we think needs to be done for an individual student’s needs). Katie Wood Ray states that “written assessment notes and the representative pieces that accompany them are essential in helping evaluate this development for report cards” (2004, p. 137).
Ø Most importantly, we are not assessing them to give them a grade. We are assessing them to help their growth in writing and learning to read like a writer. We would like for their passion of writing to grow (or be born) and continue to grow past their work with us. Thus, we do not wish for an assessment to squash their passion, but only encourage it. We will look to see growth and development within the individual.
Sample Unit of Study Calendar:
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
01/01 Immersion | 01/02 Immersion | 01/03 Memoir writers: Getting to know them and their work Show texts | 01/04 è | 01/05 è |
01/08 Minilesson: Choosing a topic to write about Show texts | 01/09 è | 01/10 Minilesson: Outlining idea into 3 parts (provide graphic organizer) Example w/texts | 01/11 è | 01/12 è |
01/15 Minilesson: Show the reader- details and description Example w/texts | 01/16 è | 01/17 è | 01/18 Minilesson: Connection with the reader (lesson within) Example w/texts | 01/19 è |
01/21 è | 01/22 Minilesson on Peer Review/Editing Role play for them | 01/23 Peer Review/Editing | 01/24 Final Publishing/ Editing | 01/25 Publishing Celebration & Gallery Walk |
Calendar based off of (Anderson, 2005, p. 217).
Final Product: One published memoir for our class text |
Week One: 1. Our noticings 2. Getting to know memoir writers |
Week Two: 1. Choosing a topic 2. Using the graphic organizer for brainstorming |
Week Three: 1. Show the reader what you mean 2. Connect to the reader |
Week Four: 1. Peer Review 2. Publishing |
References
Anderson, C. (2005). Assessing writers. Portsmouth , NH
Anderson, C. (2000). How’s it going? Porsmouth , NH
O’Keefe, T. “Kidwatching.” Creating classrooms for authors and inquirers. Ed. by Kathy
Short, Jerome Harste & Carolyn Burke.Portsmouth , NH
Short, Jerome Harste & Carolyn Burke.
Wood Ray, K. (2004). About the authors. Portsmouth , NH
Wood Ray, K. (2006). Study driven. Portsmouth , NH
Backward Design: Oppression, Third Grade
This Backward Design can be utilized for other grade levels by adjusting the expectations, assessments, and grade level standards. The Backward Design format can also be replicated with a variety of topics and can be easily integrated across content areas.
Overview: The purpose of this project is to provide students an opportunity to explore the particulars involved in planning an event in an open-ended manner. Through the 4-week duration of their exploration, students will collaborate and work through details and logistics of hosting a major event of their choosing (i.e. concert, sporting event). Within its framework, the project emphasizes collaboration and social learning. They will discover problems and will need to find creative solutions. They will also have a voice and choice in how they are graded, and will generate a product to share with classmates and others about what they have learned. By nature of the project, students will work through various curricula including mathematics, language arts, science, technology, and fine arts. Through researching about planning a major event, the students will learn about the intricacies of this event planning process, will present a bid to a committee of adults to host an event for their school or several schools in the district, and will host the event.
Objective: Students pursue real solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, creating artifacts (Blumenfeld et al., 1991). It also aims to meet the seven goals of Project Based Learning (PBL) as follows: it has a driving question and is framed around that, students perceive the work as meaningful, students need a voice and choice in fulfilling project requirements, opportunities to build 21st century skills and use technology that will be useful to them in life and the workplace, enable learners to conduct real inquiry, learners should receive feedback to use in revision, students should publicly present their work (Deubel, 2001).
Entry Event to launch inquiry and engage students: Begin with a whole-group conversation about planning/hosting an event such as a birthday party to activate their prior knowledge. Talk about and list all the details (balloons, utensils, plates, invitations, food, etc) and scaffold their understanding about how much work it can be to put on an event like a birthday party, or baby shower – even when your goal is simply to have fun (not earn a profit). Then bridge to the bigger idea of planning/hosting an event like the Super Bowl or World Cup using these videos. (Indianapolis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfSHlJ-zO9U – Indianapolis Super Bowl 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIMMW30fKgU&NR=1 - 2022 FIFA World Cup Indianapolis
Driving Question: How can we plan a major sporting event or concert for our school and/or school district? What processes are taken into consideration before an organization hosts a major event? How do organizations plan for a successful event, and what actions do they take to ensure success?
21st Century Skills: To be explicitly taught and assessed (T+A) or that will be encouraged (E) by project work, but not taught or assessed
Overview: Students will work in small groups (approx 5-7 per group) and focus on a more specific aspect of the whole-group objective. For example, one group may focus on logistics, another focuses on budgets, and a third on marketing and promotions. A rubric will be created with the help of students who decide how/what they should be graded on based on what is important when working in a group. They could even peer-assess as part of their grade.
Process: I plan on presenting the group options in a similar manner to presenting books for literature circles. There will be three focuses for this project called Budgets, Marketing, and Logistics. I will present these as possible committees to the class and give a brief description of what each committee is typically responsible for accomplishing (examples listed below). After describing the basic objective of each committee, I would like the students to put their first, second, and third preferences on a piece of paper and submit it to me so I can try to place students in their top choices. The groups will work intra-collaboratively as well as inter-collaboratively.
Presenting: At the end of the project, students will present their information to the entire class and a committee of teachers and experts. They will present the culminating product their group has generated through this process (i.e. Logistics may show their venue model, Budgeting presents graphs and illustrations about how they manage costs, revenue, profits, and Marketing shows their advertisements, logos, and promotions). This presentation should be considered one to persuade the committee to choose this class to host a major music or sporting event at their venue. Each group will also need to submit a written proposal to achieve the same objective. This presentation should include appropriate materials and products to aid in the presentation. (i.e. Budget group provides graphs and charts to indicate profits and revenues) A rubric will be created for this assessment and students will know ahead of time what they are graded on. Students may also practice their presentations to other groups in the class for feedback prior to the graded presentation. All members on the committee will be involved in the grading process (peer evaluation). Students will be given opportunity to work with other groups throughout the project. Some of the decisions each committee will make will depend on what other committees are trying to accomplish. Therefore, at the end of each week, committees will schedule planning meetings with one another to discuss what they have achieved, share data, and determine how to go forward.
Roles: Students in each group will need to define their roles. These roles will need to be achieved through self-nomination by interest as well as consideration by the teacher. This provides a choice for the students. At some point during the project, students should partake in the duties of a second role. This will require collaboration with the individual who was in charge of that role before, as well as promotes the student to work in an area she/he may not be as comfortable with. Roles will be described by the teacher, and will include Leader/Manager, Recorder/Note Taker, Materials Manager/Resourcer, Researcher/Interpreter, Visual Analyst/Graphic Organizer, Reporter/Presenter, and Time Keeper. These roles can be modified as the students see fit. Each group will have a person responsible for each role in their committee. Students can trade roles throughout the project if they would like to.
Overview: The project will include three summative assessments, and weekly formative assessments. By the end of the project, students will need to produce three items: a product that demonstrates their knowledge of planning an event based on their group’s specific role, an oral presentation given to a panel of experts, and a written proposal to achieve the same objective. The assessments for these culminating products will be considered summative. A separate rubric will be used for each of the three products. The weekly formative assessments will be peer and self-assessments, checklists, and committee conferences to check their progress and provide feedback. These assessments will allow for more input from the students. Students pursue real solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, creating artifacts (Blumenfeld et al., 1991). It also aims to meet the seven goals of Project Based Learning (PBL) as follows: it has a driving question and is framed around that, students perceive the work as meaningful, students need a voice and choice in fulfilling project requirements, opportunities to build 21st century skills and use technology that will be useful to them in life and the workplace, enable learners to conduct real inquiry, learners should receive feedback to use in revision, students should publicly present their work (Deubel, 2001).
Summative:
Formative:
Group – Each group will present to the rest of the class and a committee at the end of the project. This presentation should be considered one to persuade the committee to choose this class to host a major music or sporting event at their venue. Each group will also need to submit a written proposal to achieve the same objective. This presentation should include appropriate materials and products to aid in the presentation. (i.e. Budget group provides graphs and charts to indicate profits and revenues)
Individual – Each student will be given a specific role within the committee group. Individuals will conduct their own research and keep this information in a binder for future use, as well as submission at the end of the project. This binder will also include a writer’s notebook where students will be prompted to write about something they learned from research, ideas they have, or use graphic organizers to plan a group written paper.
Backward Design Template
Adapted by Lonni Gill, Ph.D.
Theme: OPPRESSION | Year-long Question: How have societies created oppression? | ||
Part 1 Outcomes: What do we want them to know? | |||
Standards: 3.1.1 Identify and describe Native American Woodland Indians who lived in the region when European settlers arrived. 3.1.4 Give examples of people, events and developments that brought important changes to the regions of 3.1.6 Use a variety of community resources to gather information about the regional communities. (Individuals, Society and Culture) 3.2.2 Identify fundamental democratic principles and ideals. 3.2.3 Identify the duties of and selection process for local and state government officials who make, implement and enforce laws. 3.3.7 Describe how climate and the physical characteristics of a region affect the vegetation and animal life living there. 3.3.8 Construct maps and graphs that show aspects of human/environmental interaction in the local community, Indiana and communities within the region. 3.3.9 Identify factors that make the region unique, including cultural diversity, industry, the arts and architecture. (Individuals, Society and Culture) 3.4.1 Give examples from the local community that illustrate the scarcity of productive resources. Explain how this scarcity requires people to make choices and incur opportunity costs. 3.4.4 Define interdependence and give examples of how people in the local community depend on each other for goods and services. | |||
Key Concepts: 3.1.1 Native Americans lived here before Europeans founded the country 3.1.4 3.1.6 Community resources help us gather information about and regional communities 3.2.2 Democracy is founded on basic rights and ideals for every person 3.2.3 Government officials are elected to make, implement, and enforce laws 3.3.7 Vegetation and animal life is affected by climate and physical characteristics of a region 3.3.8 Maps and graphs are used to represent human/environmental interactions in communities 3.3.9 Specific factors make regions unique to that area 3.4.1 Scarcity of productive resources cause people to make tough decisions 3.4.4 People in communities depend on each other for goods and services | Key Points: 3.1.1 Many Native Americans were killed or forced to live in segregated communities 3.1.4 Developments in transportation connected communities and caused changes in populations 3.1.6 Chambers of commerce reveal economic disparities that exist in regional communities 3.2.2 The right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness basic rights of American people 3.2.3 Government officials are selected into office to promote the goals of their voters 3.3.7 Many poor countries are found to have deforestation issues that make it difficult to farm or raise animals 3.3.8 Patterns of rural, urban, and suburban development such as population demographics can be identified through maps and graphs 3.3.9 Individuals’ characteristics are part of what make a region unique 3.4.1 Some people have to choose between buying food or paying bills 3.4.4 People in local communities help one another by donating food or clothing to charity locations | ||
Part 2 Assessments: How do we know what they know? | |||
Performance-based Assessments: Online Collaboration Map | Other Assessments- Formative Kidwatching Observations Conferences Invitations Play/Drama Transmediations Reader’s Theatre Be the Character | Skills they need to have: Problem-solving Creative thinking Writing Speaking Listening Technology Collaboration Research | |
Part 3 Path: How do we get there? | |||
Purposeful Learning Activities: Open-minded portraits KWL chart Read Alouds Invitations Centers (small-groups) Transmediations Invitations | |||
Name of PBA: Online Collaboration
Grade Level + Rationale: Third Grade; I chose this PBA because I was inspired by an online collaboration of students between Dominican Republic and California Haiti
Thorough Description of PBA: For this PBA, students will work as a whole group as they team up with another school in an oppressed community such as Petite Riviere, Haiti
Developmental Appropriateness: This PBA is appropriate for third graders because they will possess the skills to write, type, speak, and listen with peers of their age. As this will be an ongoing process, students in third grade will be able to learn how to empathize and consider other perspectives. Furthermore, students in third grade will have had experience with using websites and blogs to communicate with others. They will have guidance in the research and the creation of their solutions, but students will know how to utilize multiple resources to find information about a topic.
Differentiation used? Yes, students will be able to various formats to convey their understandings in this PBA. They will use typing, imagery, photographs, video, reading, reflective writing, kinesthetic and tactile intelligence, and more as they work through this PBA.
Critical Thinking Skills Yes, students will be required to utilize critical thinking skills to successfully participate in this PBA. They will not be expected to merely remember or understand information, but rather will need to apply, analyze, evaluate, and create to successfully navigate through the online collaboration.
Problem Solving Skills Throughout this collaboration, students will need to use problem solving skills in a variety of ways. First of all, they will need to determine and communicate how they would like the website to be created and displayed. If there are conflicts, they will need to resolve those in their own class and with their partner class. Additionally, students will be collaborating in small groups to find solutions to problems related to their interests. They will use problem solving skills to identify the best potential solution from the group, as well as to determine who is responsible for what tasks.
How does this PBA help make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world? This PBA helps students make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world because students are given an opportunity to become more aware of a world larger than just themselves, their families, their school, city, state, or even country. The PBA aids students in their understanding of globalization and how we are all responsible for helping each other maintain access to at least the basic needs of life.
Masterful/Mature | Student posts at least 3 blog entries per week (i.e. 1 new entry and 2 responses to existing entries) Each blog entry includes at least 1 of the following elements: · A Reflection (i.e. “After reading the book Tonight by Sea, I really felt sad for Paulie and her family because they had no choice but to leave.”) · New Information (i.e. “Today during research I learned that most Haitians live off of $2 a day or less!”) · A Question (i.e. “What is school like in Haiti? I wonder how it is alike and different to our school.”) · Developments in their work (i.e. “Today we were able to make a filter for the water purifier because an expert came in and helped!”) · Examples of solutions in other areas (i.e. “There was a school in California who helped students in the DR plant new trees to help solve deforestation) · Feedback to a peer (i.e. “I really like your idea about making dresses for little girls in Haiti, but how can we make clothes for boys?”) In addition, each week’s entries answer at least 4 of the following questions · WHO is involved with this problem? (i.e. government officials, poor families, farmers, doctors, children) · WHAT is impacted by this problem? (i.e. health, crops, spreading disease, hygiene, global involvement) · WHERE does the problem exist? (i.e. Ti Riv and Cange) · WHEN did the problem begin? (i.e. since the Revolution) · WHY does this problem exist? (i.e. lack of accessibility, power abuse, no infiltration systems, no public water) |
In-depth/Skilled | Student posts 3 blog entries per week Each blog entry includes at least 1 of the elements listed above Each week’s entries answer 3-4 of the 5 W’s |
Able/Aware | Student posts at least 2 blog entries per week Each blog entry includes at least 1 of the elements Each week’s entries answer 2-3 of the 5 W’s |
Developing/Unreflective | Student posts 2 blog entries per week Each blog entry includes at least 1 of the elements Each week’s entries answer 2 of the 5 W’s |
Novice/Literal | Student posts less than 2 blog entries per week Each blog entry includes 1 of the elements Each week’s entries answer 1 of the 5 W’s |
Name of PBA: Map
Grade Level + Rationale: Third Grade; I chose this PBA because I believe that by creating a visual reference of the disparities that exist related to oppression, students will have a tool to use to further investigate how power is segregated throughout the world. By representing inequalities related to injustices in a pictorial manner, students will have an opportunity to create deeper meaning and understanding of how oppression has a geographical element.
Thorough Description of PBA: For this PBA, students will map disparities related to oppression by choosing one of the following classifications to represent: income, wealth, poverty, education, health, disease, disaster, death, violence, religion, and depletion of resources. Because the students will include basic characteristics of a map as a representation of space or place, or of phenomena as they exist in the world, there will be time to explore and investigate what makes a map. Once they have a solid understanding of what mapping is, why it is important to use mapping, and how to create a map, then the students will begin a research phase to find information related to one of the classifications listed above. Once they research the information (this can be done individually, paired, or in small groups), they will use that knowledge to portray it visually. They can use websites such as www.worldmapper.com to assist them in determining how to represent their information. Then students decide what region they would like to focus on and how to showcase the information to their peers. For example, the map could be of the city of Indianapolis or of the entire world. It will need to include a key or a legend, and a compass to indicate which way is north, as well as a title and date. The students can choose to add other elements and details such as roads, landmarks, schools, parks, libraries, hospitals, police and fire stations, vegetation, jails, airports, and commercial/business areas. Next, they can choose a medium to represent it such as drawing, painting, or using technology to create their maps. This part of the activity could be used in collaboration with their Arts class and teacher, if possible. Finally, the students will give a brief oral presentation of their map to their peers before we hang them for all to enjoy!
Developmental Appropriateness: This PBA is appropriate for third graders because they will possess the skills necessary to research information in texts and online, and can use literacy skills such as reading, writing, and speaking to express their understandings. Third graders may have some experience with using maps or seeing maps, which will support them in their ability to create a map. They can also use technology and drawing skills to create their map. As part of the development, the students will use their ability to categorize characteristics (i.e. education or health of people) as they represent it geographically.
Differentiation used? Yes, students will be access various intelligences to complete this PBA. For example, they have the choice to research individually or with partners to allow preference for intrapersonal and interpersonal learners. They will also be utilizing linguistic intelligences as they read and write during the research phase, as well as when they present orally to peers. And of course, all students will utilize spatial and logical intelligences as they transfer information onto a map.
Critical Thinking Skills Yes, students will be required to utilize critical thinking skills to successfully participate in this PBA. They will not be expected to merely remember or understand information, but rather will need to apply, analyze, evaluate, and create to successfully navigate through the mapping process. By using the map in a transmediation format, the students have an opportunity to learn in a media other than reading and writing. By taking what they learn from research and representing it in a different way, they can deepen their understandings because they have to think about it in a new media which takes significant cognitive skill.
Problem Solving Skills Through this PBA, students will need to solve problems as they work to clearly display their information in a pictorial format. Students will have to determine what is shown on their map, how to represent it, and what it means in relation to our class theme. If students decide to work together in pairs or trios, they will need to decide how to divvy responsibilities and what information is important to include in their map.
How does this PBA help make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world? This PBA helps students make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world because students are given an opportunity to explore their communities and worlds in a new way. Once students develop an awareness of oppression that occurs because of one or several of the characteristics on the maps, they have an opportunity to do something about changing it.
Masterful/Mature | The product includes required elements of a map · key or legend · a compass · title · date 1+ of the following categories is represented · income · wealth · poverty · education · health · disease disaster · death · violence · religion · depletion of resources The map contains at least 10 additional elements or details. · roads (Meridian St.) · landmarks (The Circle) · schools (IUPUI) · parks (Military Park) · neighborhoods (Indianapolis Neighborhood) · libraries (Marion County Public Library) · hospitals (Riley) · police and fire stations (Indianapolis Fire Department) · vegetation (plants along White River) · jails (Marion County Jail) · airports (Indianapolis International Airport) · commercial/business areas (Circle Centre) |
In-Depth/Skilled | The product includes required elements of a map 1 of the identifying categories is represented The map contains 8-10 additional elements or details. |
Able/Aware | The product includes required elements of a map 1 of the identifying categories is represented The map contains 7-8 additional elements or details. |
Developing/Unreflective | The product includes required elements of a map 1 of the identifying categories is represented The map contains 5-7 additional elements or details. |
Novice/Literal | The product includes required elements of a map 1 of the identifying categories is represented The map contains 4 or less additional elements or details. |
Path: How do we get there?
Prior Knowledge:
To gain more insight about what students already know about oppression, and how to facilitate future learning, I would begin with having students create an Open-Mind Portrait. In this strategy, students draw a head on legal-size paper and write/draw everything they know (this can include pictures, symbols, words, etc) about oppression in the space inside of the head. Then they draw/write questions or things they want to know in the space outside the head. The students would complete this task individually.
Then, I would use a KWL Chart as a whole group activity to build on their individual understandings. Asking what the students know about oppression, (where it exists, what it means, and why it happens) will help me facilitate other activities. As they discuss this together, they may also feed off of each other’s ideas, which will harness their collective intelligence. Then we can create questions we have about oppression and areas we really want to focus our attention, which may also help guide the Performance Based Activities. As students speak, I will write what they know and the questions they have on Post-it Notes, and then place them on the chart. Then, we can utilize the KWL Chart throughout the year, as the class studies and learns more, they can move the Post-it Notes in and out of the columns as appropriate.
Multiple teaching and learning strategies:
In order to get to know my students intentionally and regularly, I plan on utilizing a community circle, take interest inventories, and eat lunch with my students. In order to teach well, I need to know my students on a profound level. By taking interest inventories periodically through the year, I will be able to utilize student interests to guide my teaching. Additionally, eating lunch with students will help me get to know them on a personal level and ensure that I care for them as people as well as students. Finally, community circle will help us build a cohesive and inclusive classroom community where we can discuss a range of topics (i.e. a story we read, something we’ve experienced, or how we treat one another). This ‘getting-to-know’ strategy is also important in cultivating a taste for diversity where students’ families, cultures, and experiences are all valued and highlighted in our classroom.
I will also incorporate small-group teaching into daily and weekly lesson plans including literature circles, reading and writing workshops, and centers that focus on our overall theme. These small-group sessions allow for more specified instruction based on the needs of groups of students. It also allows for peers to help one another in a comfortable setting and based on similar experiences. When this small group instruction includes reading and writing, we will practice several kinds of reading strategies throughout the curriculum such as read-alouds, cloze strategy, and tapping the table at punctuation.
Next, I will utilize an essential question and project based learning to teach to the high-end. This will allow students to build on their funds of knowledge, partner with community members, and solve real-life problems creatively. This will require flexibility in my teaching and in student learning. Additional ways to explore and express learning while teaching to this high-end will include transmediations, invitations, technology, critical literacy, and collaboration. Each of these strategies will cover big ideas rather than specific standards while providing differentiated instruction and 21st century skills. Additionally, these strategies will use visual aids, experiential learning, and Gardner’s multiple intelligences to ensure teaching in multiple ways.
During this time, students will have a voice and choice in the activities to support the inquiry-based instruction. This may allow students to work independently or with partners, choose their interest, and help create rubrics and expectations. Additionally, these rubrics that students help create will coach for quality in that they will be clearly and explicitly written with the guidance of students. It may include checklists, timelines, and self-assessment opportunities. Furthermore, these teaching strategies will incorporate ongoing informal assessments to gauge student understanding through observations, exit cards, “where are you” (i.e. thumbs up/down), and class meetings. These assessments will be crucial for both the students’ learning progress, but also for me as a teacher to reevaluate and revise my strategies if necessary.
Critical Thinking Activities:
To focus on students’ critical thinking skills, I would utilize invitations. The invitation would include multiple resources, including fiction and non-fiction texts, pictures, artwork, videos, maps, and articles. Throughout the year, we can add to or remove resources from the invitation, and modify it as necessary. Students are invited to explore the information, and use guided questions to think more deeply about the collaboration of information. As students explore the multiple examples of oppression, they will utilize higher-order thinking skills such as applying, analyzing, and evaluating rather than simply remembering or comprehending. After the students explore the information, think and talk with peers about the guided questions, then they will have choice to respond to the text set in a creative way. This may include writing a poem, creating a political cartoon, painting, making a video with a friend, or writing a letter to an editor – or even something else of their choice. Through their response to the information, students will be utilizing the highest-order of thinking – creating! This creative response, in addition to their need to be able to evaluate, analyze, and apply the information guides students’ use of critical thinking skills.
Problem Solving Activities:
Students will work in small groups to create, and ultimately perform, a play for their peers. The play will highlight an example of oppression today (i.e. anti-Muslim sentiment, homelessness, disability discrimination, homophobia, etc.) and will require the group to research that topic in order to provide important information to their classmates. Students will need to use problem-solving skills as they decide what information should be included in the play, how to portray it through drama, and also as they utilize collaboration in a small group setting. For example, students may decide to assign roles to each member (i.e. producer, director, artistic leader, etc) and explicitly describe the tasks that each member is responsible for contributing.
Student Accommodations/Special Considerations:
My future classrooms will be filled with individual learners who have different strengths and needs. A classroom will require varied instruction in order to help each and every learner reach his/her academic potential. Therefore, it will be of utmost emphasis to provide differentiated instruction to students in a way that helps him/her perform at his/her best. Instruction will continuously involve individual, small group, and whole group settings as well as opportunities to explore multiple intelligences. For Linguistic learners, we will conduct literature circles and will communicate through speaking and writing to one another through activities like walking journals and whole group discussions. Intrapersonal learners will have choice to work independently, and interpersonal learners will be able to work in groups. Logical-mathematical thinkers will be able to use their strengths when we make graphs and maps to synthesize information, and spatial learners will also benefit from this activity. Musical, artistic, and kinesthetic learners will be able to utilize their strengths during plays and other performances such as transmediations, reader’s theatre, and be the character. Finally, naturalist learners will benefit from activities that take place outside. To meet student needs, I will be responsible for being flexible in my instruction and considering each individual which will be attempted through each of our learning activities.
Another aspect of making student accommodations and special considerations is utilizing my resources well. Specifically, this means that I will need to be pro-active in asking for support and assistance from other teachers and instructing students in a collaborative nature. As soon as I recognize any student is not achieving success, I hope to utilize other grade-level teachers, team leaders, resource teachers, instructional aides, arts, music, and PE teachers, and administrators. This collaborative teaching effort is vital to my success – especially as a first-year teacher. I will rely on those with more experience or creative ideas to help me when I meet a struggling learner, and do whatever is necessary to help that student. My goal is always to help every learner reach his/her academic potential.
Resources
Primary Resource:
South African William Kentridge’s severed “Blue Head” (1955) – the image of this primary resource would be a great tool to use for a VTS that explores the artist’s rendition of oppression seen in South Africa.
The Diary of Anne Frank (1952) would be a wonderful primary resource to use as well. I envision this as a read aloud with the whole group.
Additionally, I would love to invite family members of students who may have personally experienced oppression to come in and talk with students about their experience.
Trade Books:
Birtha, B. (2005). Grandmama’s pride.Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman.
Two African-American girls from the North visit their grandmother in the South and
learn how “separate but equal” operates, and how their grandmother boycotts public
buses.
Two African-American girls from the North visit their grandmother in the South and
learn how “separate but equal” operates, and how their grandmother boycotts public
buses.
Ellis, D. (2005). Our stories, our songs: African children talk about AIDS. Markham, ON: Fitxhenry & Whiteside.
Facts about the AIDS epidemic in Africa are interspersed with the stories of individual
children in Malawi and Zambia as they tell how AIDS has affected their lives.
Facts about the AIDS epidemic in Africa are interspersed with the stories of individual
children in Malawi and Zambia as they tell how AIDS has affected their lives.
Hall, B.E. (2004). Henry and the kite dragon. New York: Philomel.
Chinese American and Italian American children in New York in the 1920s avoid
confrontation when they discover they have been misunderstanding each other.
Chinese American and Italian American children in New York in the 1920s avoid
confrontation when they discover they have been misunderstanding each other.
Landowne, Y. (2004). Sѐlavi, that is life: A Haitian story of hope. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
A homeless boy in Haiti joins other street children, and together they build a home and
a radio station where they can care for themselves and other homeless children.
A homeless boy in Haiti joins other street children, and together they build a home and
a radio station where they can care for themselves and other homeless children.
McDonough, Y.Z. (2002). Peaceful protest: The life of Nelson Mandela. New York: Walker.
A picture book biography of the South African leader, Mandela, who worked to end
apartheid, even as a prisoner.
A picture book biography of the South African leader, Mandela, who worked to end
apartheid, even as a prisoner.
Noguchi, R. and Jenks, D. (2001). Flowers from Mariko. New York: Lee & Low.
Living in a temporary trailer park after being released from the Japanese American
internment camp, Mariko’s family must find a way to recover hope and dignity.
Living in a temporary trailer park after being released from the Japanese American
internment camp, Mariko’s family must find a way to recover hope and dignity.
Small, D. (1992). Ruby Mae has something to say. New York: Crown.
Tongue-tied Ruby Mae Foote fulfills her dream of speaking for world peace at the
United Nations when her nephew invents a devise to solve her speech problem.
Tongue-tied Ruby Mae Foote fulfills her dream of speaking for world peace at the
United Nations when her nephew invents a devise to solve her speech problem.
Smith, D.J. (2002). If the world were a village: A book about the world’s people. Toronto: Kids Can Press.
This book reduces the world’s population to 100 people, and then tells how many of
those people are members of certain religions, are literate, starving, etc.
This book reduces the world’s population to 100 people, and then tells how many of
those people are members of certain religions, are literate, starving, etc.
White, L.A. (2005). I could do that: Esther Morris gets women the vote. New York: Farrar, Straus
& Giroux.
A fictionalized biography of the suffragist Esther Morris who worked to make Wyoming,
the first state to allow women to vote in 1869.
& Giroux.
A fictionalized biography of the suffragist Esther Morris who worked to make Wyoming,
the first state to allow women to vote in 1869.
Websites:
www.hrw.org - Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For 30 years, HRW has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.
Students can use this website to explore the variety of ways that oppression occurs and exists through the world, and how groups like HRW work to end oppression. Through these explorations, students will become more aware of how to identify oppression as well as see how collaboration is used to end it. This website gives students a great example of the success that can happen when individuals work together to take social action.
www.winetowater.org - Wine To Water is a 501(c)(3) non-profit aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world. Nearly 1 billion people in the world today lack access to adequate water and 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. We are devoted to fighting this epidemic. Wine symbolizes fortune in our society. Our goal is to give the fortunate population an opportunity to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
Since one of our PBAs focuses on online collaboration to solve real problems in impoverished areas like Haiti, this website could be used to help students see how one individual (a bartender) utilized his personal gifts and talents to make a difference. He now sells his wine as a way to raise money to provide clean water. This website could generate other ideas for students to make use of their personal talents! Another website that could be used in conjunction with this is www.alexslemonade.org because it has a story similar to wine to water.
www.doctorswithoutborders.org - Doctors without Borders provides a voice for poverty-stricken communities that are oppressed by people in power. The organization “may speak out publicly … to bring a forgotten crisis to public attention, to alert the public to abuses occurring beyond the headlines, to criticize the inadequacies of the aid system, to challenge the diversion of humanitarian aid for political interests, or to call out bodies that are restricting access to medical care or essential medicines.”
Again, student see how collaborative efforts help solve problems (i.e. lack of medical care) that exist because of oppression. This website could be used in conjunction with a read aloud of Our stories, our songs: African children talk about AIDS to help students draw additional connections and bridge their understandings, which may lead to investigations of other diseases and countries affected by widespread epidemics. We can discuss how people volunteer with programs like Doctors without Borders after high school and/or college to make a difference.
I believe it is imperative to utilize websites like these because students are becoming more and more adept to technological aspects of communication in our lives. Using websites may appeal to young students, while also building on a 21st century skill – technology. These websites (and many others like them) will be used in my future classroom to help students learn empathy while realizing that the world is bigger than our classroom, school, city, state, or even county. If I use them appropriately, I will be able to scaffold students as they learn how to help others and create a socially just world.
Project Based Learning: Event Planning, Fifth Grade
The purpose of this project is to provide students an opportunity to explore the particulars involved in planning an event in an open-ended manner. Through the 4-week duration of their exploration, students will collaborate and work through details and logistics of hosting a major event of their choosing (i.e. concert, sporting event). Within its framework, the project emphasizes collaboration and social learning.
Event Planning – Overview
Overview: The purpose of this project is to provide students an opportunity to explore the particulars involved in planning an event in an open-ended manner. Through the 4-week duration of their exploration, students will collaborate and work through details and logistics of hosting a major event of their choosing (i.e. concert, sporting event). Within its framework, the project emphasizes collaboration and social learning. They will discover problems and will need to find creative solutions. They will also have a voice and choice in how they are graded, and will generate a product to share with classmates and others about what they have learned. By nature of the project, students will work through various curricula including mathematics, language arts, science, technology, and fine arts. Through researching about planning a major event, the students will learn about the intricacies of this event planning process, will present a bid to a committee of adults to host an event for their school or several schools in the district, and will host the event.
Objective: Students pursue real solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, creating artifacts (Blumenfeld et al., 1991). It also aims to meet the seven goals of Project Based Learning (PBL) as follows: it has a driving question and is framed around that, students perceive the work as meaningful, students need a voice and choice in fulfilling project requirements, opportunities to build 21st century skills and use technology that will be useful to them in life and the workplace, enable learners to conduct real inquiry, learners should receive feedback to use in revision, students should publicly present their work (Deubel, 2001).
Entry Event to launch inquiry and engage students: Begin with a whole-group conversation about planning/hosting an event such as a birthday party to activate their prior knowledge. Talk about and list all the details (balloons, utensils, plates, invitations, food, etc) and scaffold their understanding about how much work it can be to put on an event like a birthday party, or baby shower – even when your goal is simply to have fun (not earn a profit). Then bridge to the bigger idea of planning/hosting an event like the Super Bowl or World Cup using these videos. (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfSHlJ-zO9U – Indianapolis Super Bowl 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIMMW30fKgU&NR=1 - 2022 FIFA World Cup Indianapolis
Then ask students to talk with a partner and compare/contrast between hosting and planning a birthday party, and hosting and planning a major event. Ask students to consider what kind of events they might be able to plan, bid for, and host at their school (i.e. Field Day Superbowl, Talent Show Lollapalooza, etc).
Driving Question: How can we plan a major sporting event or concert for our school and/or school district? What processes are taken into consideration before an organization hosts a major event? How do organizations plan for a successful event, and what actions do they take to ensure success?
Event Planning - Standards
Content and Skills Standards: Indiana State Core Standards, 5th grade. (Indiana
· Math – Core Standard 1: Number Sense and Computation
o Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers: Multiply and divide whole numbers. Understand and use standard algorithms for multiplication and division
o Comparing Fractions, Decimals and Percents: Compare fractions, decimals and percents
o Addition and Subtraction of Fractions and Decimals: Understand and perform addition and subtraction with fractions, including mixed numbers and fractions with different denominators. Add and subtract decimals, including money in decimal notation.
§ Students will create models of the venue site, using multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions to determine areas, percent total space used and ratios to create scaled-down models. Stage dimensions may include fractions and/or decimals
§ Students will use multiplication and division of whole numbers and decimals to determine revenue earned from sales, and total profit earned and other budgetary information. Students will add and subtract fractions if a portion of the seats sell out
· Math – Core Standard 2: Geometry and Measurement
o Polygons : Measure angles and describe angles in degrees, and identify, classify and draw polygons and triangles
o Shapes and Solids: Find and use the perimeter and area of triangles, parallelograms and trapezoids, and the surface area and volume of rectangular prisms
§ Students will use these skills to create models of the venue site, as well as to determine if customers will be able to see the event from their seats
§ Students can compare and contrast various stage sizes as options to use the least amount of materials possible (surface area)
· Math – Core Standard 3: Algebra and Functions
o Variables: Evaluate simple algebraic expressions
o Coordinate Grids: Use two-dimensional coordinate grids to represent points in the first quadrant that fit linear equations. Draw the line determined by the points.
§ Students use variables and algebraic expressions to determine the best ticket prices
§ Students can graph potential revenue on a line graph to show a trend based on number of customers who purchase tickets
· Language Arts
o Core Standard 1: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development
o Core Standard 2: Informational text: Structure, comprehension, and analysis
o Core Standard 4: Writing: Informational, Research and Persuasive Texts
o Core Standard 6: English Language Conventions
o Core Standard 7: Listening and Speaking
§ Students will be given opportunity to research on the internet and read non-fiction texts to learn about planning and promoting an event. Students will utilize reading and writing skills to gather useful information. They will write in writer’s notebooks to jot down lists, quotes, ideas, etc and will use graphic organizers to plan future writing as well.
§ Students will need to write informative descriptions about their project and will also perform persuasive writing techniques as they present their event preparations to a “committee” in hopes they will be selected. Students will need to use English language conventions in this process.
§ Students will work in small groups to collaborate and will utilize listening and verbal communication skills.
· Social Studies
o Core Standard 4: Economics - Elements of a Market Economy: Explain basic characteristics of a market economy including the effects of changes in supply and demand on prices
§ Students will use this information to see causal relationships between changing ticket prices and the effect it has on sales and overall revenue and profit. Students can also discuss the importance and validity of a competitive market as they ask themselves why it is important for companies to earn profits.
21st Century Skills: To be explicitly taught and assessed (T+A) or that will be encouraged (E) by project work, but not taught or assessed
Collaboration (T+A) – students will work in small groups (approx 7 per group) and focus on a more specific aspect of the whole-group objective. For example, one group may focus on logistics, another focuses on budgets, and a third on marketing and promotions. A rubric will be created with the help of students who decide how/what they should be graded on based on what is important when working in a group. They could even peer-assess
Presentation (T+A) – the students will be responsible for presenting their group’s information to the entire class and a committee of teachers and experts. They will present the culminating product their group has generated through this process (i.e. Logistics may show their venue model, and marketing and promotions shows their
advertisements and logos). A rubric will be created for this assessment and students will know ahead of time what they are graded on. Students may also practice their presentations to other groups in the class for feedback prior to the graded presentation. All members on the committee will be involved in the grading process.
advertisements and logos). A rubric will be created for this assessment and students will know ahead of time what they are graded on. Students may also practice their presentations to other groups in the class for feedback prior to the graded presentation. All members on the committee will be involved in the grading process.
Critical Thinking (E) – students will need to utilize critical thinking skills throughout this process. They will read information and decipher if it is viable knowledge within the scope of their project. They will come across problems which will require unique and creative solution through divergent thinking.
Research (E) – students will be given time to research information about promoting a major event such as a concert or sporting event. We will also discuss different types of research and how it can be used in their project. I will not grade their research, but expect that resources are cited in the group paper at the end of the project.
Event Planning - Groups
Purpose: Working in groups will be an integral part of this project based learning as it puts an emphasis on collaboration and problem solving for the 21st century. As outlined previously, students will collaborate and work through details and logistics of hosting a concert or sporting event. They will discover problems and will need to find creative solutions throughout the process.
Overview: Students will work in small groups (approx 5-7 per group) and focus on a more specific aspect of the whole-group objective. For example, one group may focus on logistics, another focuses on budgets, and a third on marketing and promotions. A rubric will be created with the help of students who decide how/what they should be graded on based on what is important when working in a group. They could even peer-assess as part of their grade.
Process: I plan on presenting the group options in a similar manner to presenting books for literature circles. There will be three focuses for this project called Budgets, Marketing, and Logistics. I will present these as possible committees to the class and give a brief description of what each committee is typically responsible for accomplishing (examples listed below). After describing the basic objective of each committee, I would like the students to put their first, second, and third preferences on a piece of paper and submit it to me so I can try to place students in their top choices. The groups will work intra-collaboratively as well as inter-collaboratively.
Budget Committee: This group will be given a starting amount of money to use for the event. They will need to research how much it costs to rent a venue space, how much it costs to advertise the event, costs of renting or buying materials, costs of paying employees, costs of booking a band for a concert, and how much profit they want/need to earn from the event.
Marketing Committee: This group of students will be responsible for learning how to promote their event to the public. They will need to identify their target audience, how to use strategic marketing, create commercials or print ads, submit a proposal to the Budget Committee for money to use toward marketing materials, create a logo for tickets/programs.
Logistics Committee: This group of students will be responsible for determining the dimensions of the focal point (i.e. basketball court or concert stage), will consider the best placement of a stage in relation to seats and exits, will create a model for of the event to use in the Bid Presentation, will research information about handicap accessibility, and other constructional considerations.
Presenting: At the end of the project, students will present their information to the entire class and a committee of teachers and experts. They will present the culminating product their group has generated through this process (i.e. Logistics may show their venue model, Budgeting presents graphs and illustrations about how they manage costs, revenue, profits, and Marketing shows their advertisements, logos, and promotions). This presentation should be considered one to persuade the committee to choose this class to host a major music or sporting event at their venue. Each group will also need to submit a written proposal to achieve the same objective. This presentation should include appropriate materials and products to aid in the presentation. (i.e. Budget group provides graphs and charts to indicate profits and revenues) A rubric will be created for this assessment and students will know ahead of time what they are graded on. Students may also practice their presentations to other groups in the class for feedback prior to the graded presentation. All members on the committee will be involved in the grading process (peer evaluation). Students will be given opportunity to work with other groups throughout the project. Some of the decisions each committee will make will depend on what other committees are trying to accomplish. Therefore, at the end of each week, committees will schedule planning meetings with one another to discuss what they have achieved, share data, and determine how to go forward.
Roles: Students in each group will need to define their roles. These roles will need to be achieved through self-nomination by interest as well as consideration by the teacher. This provides a choice for the students. At some point during the project, students should partake in the duties of a second role. This will require collaboration with the individual who was in charge of that role before, as well as promotes the student to work in an area she/he may not be as comfortable with. Roles will be described by the teacher, and will include Leader/Manager, Recorder/Note Taker, Materials Manager/Resourcer, Researcher/Interpreter, Visual Analyst/Graphic Organizer, Reporter/Presenter, and Time Keeper. These roles can be modified as the students see fit. Each group will have a person responsible for each role in their committee. Students can trade roles throughout the project if they would like to.
* The descriptions of these roles will be discussed in class before students nominate themselves. The roles will be closely related to those listed athttp://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/collab_roles.html http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/collab_roles.html
Event Planning - Literature
News articles, blogs, and editorials: These sources are non-fiction and provide real-world examples of how to host a major event. After I share these examples, students can use the Internet to search in more depth about concerts, sporting events, and other events. This can also be a great time to discuss the different purposes and stances authors have for writing these various pieces. Some examples include the following links, however, many other events can be utilized to gain helpful insight to the event planning process.
http://www.indy2012.com/
(Indianapolis Super Bowl 2012 host committee hopes to learn from Dallas
(
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011102030416
(Promoting Indy at Super Bowl)
(Promoting Indy at Super Bowl)
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/indystar/access/2064516541.html?FMT=ABS&date=Jun+23%2C+2010 (Super Bowl impact on economy drops)
Children’s Books: These fictional texts can be provided as an ongoing text set to keep in the room as an additional resource for students, and to peak their interest in event planning.
Chicks and Salsa by Aaron Reynolds
Isi, Se Puede! (Yes, We Can!) by Diana Cohn
Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (Series #6) by Barbara Park, Denise Brunkus Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt Clifford's Birthday Party by Norman Bridwell
Fancy Nancy : Tea Parties by: Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser
Isi, Se Puede! (Yes, We Can!) by Diana Cohn
Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (Series #6) by Barbara Park, Denise Brunkus Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt Clifford's Birthday Party by Norman Bridwell
Fancy Nancy : Tea Parties by: Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser
Event Planning - Assessments
Objective: Assessments are a wonderful way to gauge the progress students are making while they work on a task or project. They are also a great way to provide clear and explicit goals for the students, as well as ongoing feedback throughout the course of the project. Seven principles of good feedback practice that support self-regulation are provided in Nicola and Macfarlane’s (2006) article, which includes research that supports a shift in focus whereby students have a proactive role in using feedback to support their own learning. In this project, both formative and summative assessments will be used to help students monitor their progress and identify areas of strength and needs for improvement.
Objective: Assessments are a wonderful way to gauge the progress students are making while they work on a task or project. They are also a great way to provide clear and explicit goals for the students, as well as ongoing feedback throughout the course of the project. Seven principles of good feedback practice that support self-regulation are provided in Nicola and Macfarlane’s (2006) article, which includes research that supports a shift in focus whereby students have a proactive role in using feedback to support their own learning. In this project, both formative and summative assessments will be used to help students monitor their progress and identify areas of strength and needs for improvement.
Overview: The project will include three summative assessments, and weekly formative assessments. By the end of the project, students will need to produce three items: a product that demonstrates their knowledge of planning an event based on their group’s specific role, an oral presentation given to a panel of experts, and a written proposal to achieve the same objective. The assessments for these culminating products will be considered summative. A separate rubric will be used for each of the three products. The weekly formative assessments will be peer and self-assessments, checklists, and committee conferences to check their progress and provide feedback. These assessments will allow for more input from the students. Students pursue real solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, creating artifacts (Blumenfeld et al., 1991). It also aims to meet the seven goals of Project Based Learning (PBL) as follows: it has a driving question and is framed around that, students perceive the work as meaningful, students need a voice and choice in fulfilling project requirements, opportunities to build 21st century skills and use technology that will be useful to them in life and the workplace, enable learners to conduct real inquiry, learners should receive feedback to use in revision, students should publicly present their work (Deubel, 2001).
Summative:
1. Product: The group will need to generate a product to present at the end of the project. This could include a model of the venue site and stages, or replicas of the tickets and apparel that will be sold, or copies of marketing and advertising tools that will be used to promote the event. A rubric will be provided ahead of time.
2. Oral Presentation: This will be a group presentation given at the end of the project that includes pertinent information from their research and work that will be useful in persuading the committee to select the company (class) to host a major event. Each member of the group needs to participate. A rubric will be provided ahead of time.
3. Written Paper: This will be a group paper that is submitted at the time of the presentation with the goal of providing information and research to persuade the committee to choose this company (class) to host a major event. The paper needs to include a bibliography. A rubric will be provided ahead of time.
Formative:
1. Journal and Learning Log: This writer’s notebook will be graded mostly as a completion grade, but can be utilized to grade writing skills from Language Arts Core Standards 1, 2, 4, and 6. Students respond to specific prompts or begin drafting persuasive and informative texts.
2. Checklist: This will be used weekly for the groups to ensure they are on task. The groups will fill this out and submit it to me, and the checklist will be modified for each group.
3. Self-Assessment/Peer-Assessment: Group members will evaluate each other and themselves in areas of communication, responsibility, collaboration, and engagement.
4. Conferences: Periodically, I will meet with groups and individuals to discuss how the project is going. This will be a time for me to review some of what they have written in their notebooks about the project, as well as give a chance for students to formulate some new ideas.
5. Preliminary Plans/Outlines/Prototypes: Students will have intermittent deadlines throughout the project to submit rough draft versions of their final product. It will be graded from the same rubric as will be used on the final presentation, but they will present these rough drafts to peers who will provide feedback before submitting the rough draft to me
Event Planning - Culminating Products and Performances
Group – Each group will present to the rest of the class and a committee at the end of the project. This presentation should be considered one to persuade the committee to choose this class to host a major music or sporting event at their venue. Each group will also need to submit a written proposal to achieve the same objective. This presentation should include appropriate materials and products to aid in the presentation. (i.e. Budget group provides graphs and charts to indicate profits and revenues)
Individual – Each student will be given a specific role within the committee group. Individuals will conduct their own research and keep this information in a binder for future use, as well as submission at the end of the project. This binder will also include a writer’s notebook where students will be prompted to write about something they learned from research, ideas they have, or use graphic organizers to plan a group written paper.
Event Planning - Resources
· On-site people, facilities
o Instructional assistants will be useful in the classroom during project time each day to help answer student questions and work with small groups as they solidify their ideas and products
o Computers will also be utilized for project research and developing products
o The arts teacher could be a great resource for aiding students in creating materials for this project (i.e. digital artwork)
o Collaboration with other teachers and administrators in the school and district is a must for this project to be successful
· Equipment
o Projector for presentation day (i.e. PowerPoint presentation from computer)
o Flip Cameras if the students wish to create some kind of advertisement or commercial such as the videos presented at the beginning of the project
· Materials
o Students may need materials to build a model of the venue site such as corrugated, wood, plastic, paper, glue, etc.
· Community Resources
o An expert who is involved with event planning to speak to the class
o Additional information about the SB Committee from Indianapolis
o Field Trip Options
PROJECT WEEK ONE – brainstorming | ||||
- Introduce project idea of event planning as described in Overview - Allow students to work with partner or small group to brain storm ideas for events our class could put on | - Generate a list of ideas our class came up with to host a school- or district- wide event - Allow students a chance to research and investigate more about event planning and types of events | - Students write in the logs which event they would like to pursue and why. Teacher selects the top three viable options; the class votes on which event will be completed for this project | - The committees are presented to the class, students identify their preferences for groups - Groups are created and students are given time to identify their roles and begin brainstorming | - Groups present to the entire class what they came up with as their objectives for the overall class project as well as their plan to achieve those goals. - Students will complete the Self-Assessment Checklist |
PROJECT WEEK TWO - researching | ||||
- Text set is introduced and set up in the room including nonfiction books, articles, blogs - Students research more about their group’s tasks. Write in logs about what they learned and how it relates to their event | - Experts come in to speak about event planning and highlight specifics that they would not have considered - Groups write about something they learned from the speaker and how it will help them | - Groups are given time to speak to teachers, admin, and other students about what they would like to see in/at the event - Students begin gathering lists of items they will need to create their product | - Group present to the whole class by identifying their plans and presenting problems for whole group problem-solving - Students submit their journals/logs for teacher review | - A rough draft of each group’s written proposal is due. Groups will meet with the teacher to check on progress. - Students will complete the Individual Learning Log |
PROJECT WEEK THREE - creating | ||||
- Field trip to Lucas Oil, NCAA Hall of Champs, or Conseco Field House to learn more about real-life event planning - Students musts have questions prepared prior to this trip | - Students will rotate through art room, computer lab, and library to work on creating their product. - Other teachers will assist in this process -Students change roles - Individual Daily Log | - Students will select a venue site for the event (with assistance from the teacher and admin) - Groups are given more time to create their product today with other teachers - Individual Daily Log | - Groups complete products and submit the Record of Work for Product assessment - Students write in logs/journals about what additional info they might need -- Individual Daily Log | - Groups present a rough draft of their product to the whole class for feedback - Groups meet with teacher to check progress and begin planning for how to use the venue site |
PROJECT WEEK FOUR - presenting | ||||
- Final changes made to products and groups prepare for oral presentations -Groups work on final draft of written presentations - Trip to the venue site - Individual Daily Log | - Groups have their final conference with teacher today to help plan for their final presentations, written proposal is submitted - Students complete the rubric for their written proposal today | - Oral Presentation and Products are due today for a panel of ‘experts’ - Students complete the rubric for their oral presentation today | - Final preparations are made today to ensure the venue site is ready and the students can host their event | EVENT DAY! |
Event Planning - References
Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., &Palincsar, A. (1991).
Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26 (3 & 4), 369-398.
Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26 (3 & 4), 369-398.
Deubel, P. (2011). Math projects. Retrieved April 2011, from Computing Technology for Math Excellence Web site: http://www.ct4me.net/math_projects.htm
Group Self Assessment. (2007). Pieces of learning clc0355: Successful teaching in the
differentiated classroom. http://www.piecesoflearning.com.
differentiated classroom. http://www.piecesoflearning.com.
Nicola, D., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 199-218.
BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 University of Kansas
Victoria, S. G. (2009). Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Retrieved April 2011, from Victorian Essential Learning Standards: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/collab_roles
