The Critical Skills Program

K–3 Coaching Kit Support for Educators of the Primary Grades

2011 Critical Skills Program Antioch University New England ©

ii

Introduction This kit is designed to support educators who wish to use the principles of the Critical Skills Program in their primary (K-3) classrooms. It is intended as a companion document to the Critical Skills Level One Coaching Kit. This resource will be more understandable and helpful if you have taken a Level One Critical Skills Institute and have the Level One Coaching Kit. This kit is presented in the voices of three primary level teachers — each describing their experiences and sharing their expertise on the implementation of the Critical Skills teaching model with younger children. All three teachers have provided specific examples for implementing Critical Skills challenges and activities in the primary classroom. These examples are accompanied by discussions in which they detail how they have made these practices work for them. Section One:

Development of the Learning Community

by Betsy O’Leary

3 – 13

Section Two:

Application of Problem-Based Learning in Grades K–3

by Diana Leddy

15 – 34

by Elizabeth Reid

35 – 58

Section Three: Targeting State Standards

The Critical Skills Program© Antioch University New England 40 Avon Street, Keene, New Hampshire 03431

Phone: 603-283-2302 [email protected]

Fax: 603-357-0718 www.antiochne.edu/acsr First Edition ©1999 ISBN 1-881245-11X

iii

Example Locator Group Juggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Heart and Lungs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Hector the Fraction Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Holiday Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-41 Holiday Party Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Huddle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Human Body Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-46 Interest Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16 Joints and Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Keeping Our Head in the Clouds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Knots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Lineups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Meals with Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Monarch Life Cycle Cookies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Morning After Halloween (The). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Painting a Rainbow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Plimoth Plantation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14 Potlach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-24 Standards Driven Learning—K-3 Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-35 Problem Based Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Rituals and Traditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sand on the Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Student Run Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Summer Letter Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Thumbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Venn Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

All Aboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Aquarium Challenge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Bag of Apples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Base or Home Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Biggest Apple (The). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-18 Body Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Boxtown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-28 Bulletin Board Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Class Names, Banners, Logos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Classroom Parties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 35 Coat of Arms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Class/Community Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Collaborative Learning Community-Stages of Development. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Community Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Compliment Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cooperation/Collaboration, Knowing the Difference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Data Demons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37-38 Dig (The). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-26 Experiential Learning Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Five Basic Ideas for Challenges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Fish Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Five Senses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Fraction Poster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Full Value Contract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Graduation Ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Greetings at the Door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

iv

Betsy O’Leary Betsy O’Leary is now retired with a lifetime career of primary school teaching at Troy Elementary School, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, behind her. She holds degrees in Education from Keene State College and Antioch University New England. She became a Master Teacher of the Critical Skills Program in 1989 and says of the program, “I believe in this program. It has enhanced and rejuvenated my teaching. I have benefitted personnally from this involvement, but more importantly, so have my students. I have seen them grow academically, and also as decision makers, communicators, problem-solvers, responsible community members and students who take increasing ownership of their learning.”

1

Building the Primary Collaborative Learning Community by Betsy O’Leary Building a collaborative learning community in a primary classroom is in some ways the same, and in other ways quite different from the process of working to foster collaboration in the upper grades. The similarities lie in the “what” and the “why” of community building. Our goals for a collaborative learning community and our reasons for working to build one are the same across all grade levels. The difference at the primary level lies in the “how” of community building. Here, as in so many areas, the developmental level of the children we teach requires some changes in methodology.

What is Community Building? The answer to this question is the same for any level classroom from kindergarten to the graduate level. As primary teachers, we already spend much time on community building, and in general we are good at it. However, the Critical Skills model enables us to further define “community” and helps us to tie it to the main task of learning in our classrooms. Here are some key points to consider: n

The collaborative learning community is deliberately created and consciously managed, with the full participation of teachers and students. It is a “purposeful” structure.

n

n

n

The creation of a classroom culture that defines itself as a collaborative learning community is not an ‘add on.’ It is not simply one more thing to cram into already packed classroom schedules. Community is the foundation for everything that happens in the classroom. It supports all other parts of the structure. Community grows directly from the work and play of community members. It is consciously created and actively maintained as an inherent, interwoven dimension of the entirety of the classroom experience. A sense of community is not built in the classroom for its own sake. A classroom is a purposeful construct—a medium for learning. The collaborative learning community is built to facilitate and to optimize that learning.

Over time, the goal is to strengthen the community to allow for more constructive risk taking and more potent learning. The “whys” of community building are very similar at any grade level, and lay the foundation for effective learning in the primary classroom. It is important in any classroom, but particularly in the Critical Skills classroom. We sometimes forget how much we expect of our students and how much of a risk it is for many of them to meet

2

Why Build Community in a K-3 Classroom? 1. To help students get to know one another, understand one another, trust one another, and collaborate to optimize learning and growth. 2. To create an atmosphere in which diversity is accepted. Students should value diversity of learning styles and rates, different routes to answers, different solutions to problems, different ways of thinking and processing, different strengths and weaknesses. These need to be encouraged, accepted and respected. 3. To set the stage for increased student participation, increased student responsibility, and increased student ownership. 4. To create connections and a network that supports us all as developing individuals and constructive community members. 5. To create a safe, consistent, fair, and stable community for all students.

those expectations. In a Critical Skills classroom, we ask children to be active participants and to put themselves on the line in many ways. Just look at some of the words we routinely use: decide, present, reflect, choose, evaluate, participate, share, create, assign roles, divide tasks, set criteria, connect, brainstorm, contribute. Many of these words would make adults uncomfortable! We need to create a culture in which students dare to participate, strive for their best, and support others in doing the same. It is easy to forget how much our students need this support from others. During one of the challenges in my first grade classroom, groups of students had created games to use for practicing reading vocabulary. I had invited the principal in for their presentations. Each student had to say three sentences to explain her or his game. About half way through, I was starting to regret the invitation because the presentations were so short. At that point, one of my little girls came up to me and said, “Mrs. O’Leary, I’m so nervous my armpits are sweating!” Sometimes we forget just how challenging school can be! In my first/second grade classroom, the students were working on a challenge to create a diorama showing the habitat and other information about an animal of their choice. On presentation day, one of the first grade girls was particularly nervous. Her part was to say a few sentences and to hold the diorama. During the morning she started looking more and more ill. Finally, I

couldn’t stand it any longer. I took her aside. We tried to come up with some ideas to make her less nervous. Other children noticed her dilemma. Some of them were second graders and experienced presenters. They came over and offered her comfort and some of their own strategies. Their ideas were even better than mine (and probably much more effective coming from her peers), but overall I think it was the support of the community that did the trick. She decided to go for it that day. She also went on to become one of those experienced second graders that helped the nervous first graders the next year. When you build community, good things happen.

How Do We Build a Collaborative Learning Community in a Primary Classroom? There are important differences between building a collaborative learning community in an upper level classroom and building one in a primary classroom. In my experience, two advantages stand out in working with younger students: 1. Young children are more willing to openly support one another. They have had less experience with competitive environments and embrace this type of culture more easily. 2. Primary teachers have more control over time and place than do teachers of older children. We have our children for most of the day. We have our own rooms. We don’t always realize how wonderful this is until we look at high

3

school teachers who have their students for only 45-90 minutes a day and often have to move from room to room. Working with younger children also presents some challenges in working to build community. The obstacles to building a community in the primary classroom are serious, but not insurmountable. Their attention spans are shorter. We can do much less in one sitting than upper grade classes. Everything takes longer. Sometimes it is hard not to be discouraged. Always remember that you are dealing with young children. The following tips may help you to more effectively use community building activities in your primary classroom. n

Start slowly and add a little at a time. It is a process. It does not happen over night. If you hang in there, you will be surprised at how the culture and your students will grow. I learned this lesson early on. One of the first times I was debriefing with my class, I got so excited about the process and I was so focused on my part that I forgot to pay attention to the children! I got carried away with how well I was doing. A half-hour later I realized that some of my students were laying on the floor and a few were doing somersaults! As luck would have it, this session was videotaped. When I looked at the videotape, it was very clear that two 15minute sessions would have been much more productive. Use a timer when you debrief!

n

n

Depending on the age of your students, you can simplify the writing, and/or use pictures whenever possible. For example, on rubrics I often use smiley faces, sad faces and medium faces instead of words.This helps to overcome the disadvantage we face when we work with beginning readers. Introduce each process in the large group and go through it step-by-step together. In the initial stages, the experience is very teacher directed. I slowly move toward a more student directed situation, but it takes time. How much time depends on the particular group of children. As usual, it is important to pay close attention to each particular group and their needs. I rarely do the same thing in the same way. My methods change with different groups and even with the same group over time.

The Stages of Development in a Collaborative Learning Community The five stages of development of a collaborative learning community are: 1. Knowledge/Communication 2. Cooperation 3. Trust 4. Collaboration 5. Maturation/Maintenance

Examples of Community Building Activities Coat of Arms The first is a modified “Coat of Arms” activity. We each make our own Coat of Arms T-shirt. For each child, I cut out a white, construction paper T-shirt. The shirt is divided into four sections. Each section has a specific topic. You could ask students for: a favorite color, animal, possession, thing to do, food, game, book, or TV show. You can use anything you think would be interesting and relatively low risk. After we have worked on one of the sections, I ask the class to circle up and share shirts. I use this opportunity to develop quality sharing time rules. I like to finish up by writing something the class likes about the student on the back of each t-shirt and hanging them up. You can also graph the overall class results of one or all the sections.

As I describe each of the stages, I will illustrate them with some community building activities that I have found to be successful in my classes. Quality activities usually address more than one stage of community development, but I will label them according to my focus at the time I introduced them. Please use these ideas as springboards for your own ideas and modify, modify, modify! 1. Knowledge/Communication

I use the Coat of Arms and the Venn Diagram activities at the very beginning of the year to increase the students’ knowledge of one another

4

Venn Diagram The second activity is a Venn Diagram focused on the similarities and differences between two students. This is a good follow-up to the first activity. Students have noticed many commonalities and differences already. I model this activity with an aide or another child. We usually do it a few times together. As a whole group, we come up with things that are the same and things that are different. We talk about how you could write these or draw pictures. We talk about things you can see and things you can’t see. I then pair the students up to work on this together. When they are finished, usually at another session, I have the students share their diagrams. Again, I use this opportunity to work on and reinforce sharing criteria. We learn about one another and about effective communication. My students learn new processes and procedures while dealing with familiar information.

and to develop their ability to communicate with purpose and clarity. 2. Cooperation

The Group Juggle and Knots activities are very rich and can connect to many different areas in your curriculum. I use them throughout the year, focusing on different skills. At the beginning of the year, I use these activities to help define not only cooperation, working together in the pursuit of a common goal, but also to continue to work on communication.

For very young students, you may want to modify the Group Juggle a bit. Instead of standing and tossing the balls, we usually sit and roll them. This is a really fun activity for kids. I start slowly and each time we do it we try to “up” the challenge. After each session, we debrief. What went well? What did we do to be successful? What didn’t go well? What could we do better next time? I get great ideas from my students. Most classes come up with suggestions such as: n We need to really focus on our partner. n We need to look and listen to what’s going on. n It’s good to help someone else if their ball goes the wrong way. n We need to keep the noise down so we can hear one another. n We need to say the other person’s name loudly. I have found that I do not need to modify the “Knots” activity. You can start with one group

Knots

Group members stand in a circle. Each puts one hand out and takes the hand of any person not immediately to the right or to the left. Each person reaches out with the other hand and takes the hand of a different person. Members of the group must unravel the knot that they have made. They may not let go of hands but they may change their grip. CAUTIONS: Group members need to be sensitive to the possibility that others in the group might be stuck in uncomfortable positions.

while others observe and then add groups or you can start with several groups and build up the numbers in each group. I repeat this activity throughout the year, trying to raise the challenge as we go. I always debrief this activity. My students never fail to come up with very valid and valuable ideas. These include: n You need to listen to each other. n Each person needs a turn to speak. n You have to move slowly, you have to think about the move ahead of time. n If something doesn’t work, go back and try something else. As teachers, we can say these things until we’re blue in the face and they still might not sink in.

Group Juggle Each group member raises his hand. The leader begins by tossing a SOFT ball to one member of the group, asking that the catcher say his name. MIKE! Mike, puts his hand down and tosses the ball to someone with a raised hand. BRENDA! This continues until everyone has received the ball, with the last person in the pattern returning the ball to the leader. The leader starts the pattern again and keeps it moving. After a few minutes, the leader “ups” the challenge by introducing a second ball into the pattern — then a third. After a great deal of laughing and dropping of the balls, stop the action and have the group members toss a ball through the pattern BACKWARDS! Start up the pattern backwards, adding balls. Get it going in both directions at once. CAUTIONS: Use SOFT balls.

5

If the students can experience these insights and then articulate them themselves, the lesson is very powerful. You can see how easily the ideas from both activities can be transferred to more academic situations. Have fun, but be sure to debrief and connect the experience to other activities in the classroom. 3. Trust

Creating a Full Value Contract is extremely important in developing communication, cooperation and trust. It helps to build confidence that you can rely on the integrity of those with whom you work. The contract is the basis for how the class will treat one another. It is the foundation for the culture of the room. The following three commitments are the foundation for the full value contract: Agreement to work together as a group and to work toward individual and group goals. Agreement to adhere to safety and group behavior guidelines. Agreement to give and receive feedback, both positive and negative, and to work toward changing behavior when it is appropriate. The contract can be oral or written, and should give consideration to guidelines for what it means for a group to: play hard play safe play fair

The full value contract is most effectively established after a group has had some initial experience together. Group experiences create a context or a need for such a contract. Young children are very capable of participating in this process. There are many ways of doing this. Some teachers start on day one. Others like the class to be together and get to know one another for a week or two to give them some experiences to draw on. I have had success with asking the class to generate one single list, and I’ve also had success with dividing our contract into three lists: What makes a Quality Audience? What makes a Quality Friend?

The important thing is that you establish the list and that students are involved in the process. I usually ask them to start thinking about this in my summer letter. I ask the students to think up at least one important rule for our classroom. This gives the children a chance to discuss it with their parents. Once school has started, I divide

We agree that we will honor the following list of Peaceful Classroom Behaviors: 1. sharing

What makes a Quality Worker?

3. people respecting one another and one another’s space

Full Value Contract

4. people caring for one another

The term “full value contract” originates with Project Adventure. It is a social contract that helps to create a “safe place to be” for each individual in a community and for the interactions among community members. It provides a structure within which expectations are established and to which members can hold one another accountable. The notion of “full value” re-fers to assigning full value to others rather than “discounting” them.

5. when it is your turn to speak, you speak and when it is your turn to listen, you listen

Through the full value contract, members of a group engage in goal setting relative to their interactions with one another in the group setting. Each individual participates fully in the expression of what s/he is willing to do within a group or as an individual. The contract is a “living” document that is reviewed periodically in debriefing and modified if necessary.

8. problems are worked out

7. decisions are made 9. people affirm 10. “I” messages are used 11. people have fun

6

This is not done in one sitting. It will probably take two or three sittings. Feel free to step in as needed. You want students to be part of this, but you are part of this, too. It is your job to model, teach, and expect a quality process and product. 4. Collaboration

2. teamwork and cooperation

6. use inside voices that are loud enough to be heard

the students into pairs and ask them to come up with a short list of important rules. Then we come back together as a large group and list the rules. We discuss them, combine like rules, add anything we might have missed (this is where I may need to step in), and eventually agree on a final list.

There is a fundamental distinction between the concepts of cooperation and collaboration. Cooperation can be defined as “working together.” It is a relatively achievable process. Cooperative work implies “getting along” —sharing tasks, ideas, resources, rewards, and responsibilities— working in harmony. The rewards for cooperative efforts are primarily external, such as public recognition, strokes, or grades.

Collaborative work denotes a greater level of investment on the part of the learner. It implies that more is involved in high quality group interaction than getting along and doing a share of the tasks. True collaboration means investing in group goals and sharing a group vision. It requires sharing e abilities and talents to the Notice th ing! one’s fullest in order to achieve comd r wo mon objectives. The rewards for positive

collaborative work are more likely to be internal — personal satisfaction, pride, or a sense of achievement.

Rituals & Traditions

Cooperation is an important milestone at the primary level as the children begin to move into developmental stages that allow for group interaction and sharing. However, introducing the idea and language of collaboration during these years can help to lay the foundation for the future. As you introduce activities such as the one below, ask questions that help students to think about what they are trying to accomplish and how they can best work together to achieve their goal.

All Aboard! Place a square of cardboard on a level, unobstructed surface. Group members must find a way for everyone to stand on the square with both feet, without touching any other object — including the floor or ground — for 15 seconds or longer. The size of the square will depend on how many children are participating and how skilled they are at the task. Have at least one spotter ready for safety.

Some possible debriefing questions: How did you solve the problem? Could you have done it another way? How could you have done it better? How did you make decisions?

Class rituals and class traditions are a very good tool in the primary classroom for developing and maintaining culture and community. They provide us with an opportunity to reflect on our recent experiences and connect those experiences to events in the community’s past. Rituals are routinely used gestures, circumstances, procedures, or behaviors, used to promote and strengthen community. Rituals can help to establish civic values and patterns of language and of interaction. The focal point for rituals is routine — an enduring expectation or procedure which persists over time in the community.

do something good!). It’s like being in a special club. Be sure the students are full participants in deciding on the name. I have, from experience and personal preference, set three quality criteria for the name: n

It must say something positive about our group.

n

It must have something to do with what we do as a class in school.

n

It can’t be the same as last years’ name!

5. Maturation/Maintenance

Some of my favorites are: The Super-de-Duper Thinking Class, The Great One/Two (our first year as a multi age class), The Super Kids, and Teacher’s Brain Busters. I like to wait a few weeks before we decide on a name. I also prefer to keep away from “the best” of anything. We can say we are wonderful, but we should not say we are better than everyone else.

Many rituals and traditions are possible, but I have to mention the importance of a class name. For a long time I did not have a class name. Its value came as a surprise to me.

Below are additional strategies that can be used to maintain community in the classroom. These strategies can also be used to reinforce other skills or dispositions.

Traditions are time-honored practices or repeated procedures that are “handed down” from one set of students to another to create connections among student groups. These might be annual events, or they may occur more frequently.

Always f! Debrie

Once I began to establish this tradition, I was amazed at how often we used our class name. We put it on our door, on the books we make, on the displays we make, and on any class communications we write. We just say it all the time (usually when we

7

n

When the class is working on an activity or challenge, I walk around and take notes. I write down things that I hear and see that hinder community building.

n

When we debrief, I mirror these things back to the group without using names.

n

Also I watch for groups that are successful. During the debriefing, I would say to a group,

“I noticed you were very good at this. Could you share with the group how you did it?” Or, “Do you have any tips for the rest of the groups?” n

n

From here we can start to make a list of things to try or things that work. This list grows during the year and we revisit it often. Another thing that helps cooperation and organization is role necklaces. When I have students work together, I assign specific-task roles to group members. For primary children, most of these roles are new and unfamiliar. As I introduce new roles like presenter, recorder, or timekeeper, we talk about what the responsibilities are for each job. I have created several necklaces for each role. When groups divide up the roles, on go the necklaces. This seems to have helped students remember the jobs, clarify the roles and lessen the time it takes to decide who is doing what. It also helps me in my observations. The assigned roles are visible to all of us.

Additional Thoughts on the Difference Between Cooperation and Collaboration Remember that cooperation and collaboration are different. Cooperation is “working with one another in a productive setting in the pursuit of common goals.” Collaboration requires the trust and interdependence of the members of the group. Collaboration

is defined as “furthering one another in a productive setting in pursuit of optimizing outcomes of the work and of the collaborative interaction.” Within the classroom, cooperation is relatively easy to achieve. Collaboration, especially for young children, is not. It takes more time and more work, but the results are well worth it. True collaboration takes everyone to a higher level. How I Came to Understand the Difference

I think one of the first times that I experienced true collaboration was during my first week-long Critical Skills Institute in the summer of 1989. The institute was very experiential. We were put through many community building activities. We were given some small challenges and we were working as a team and feeling good. Then we were hit with a real-life challenge. I don’t remember the exact words, but I clearly remember the task. Our challenge was to prepare a presentation. It had to include a description of a new program for our school, a rationale for implementing it, a plan, a list of materials and a budget for beginning implementation. Our superintendent and a few other interested people, would join us in our institute to hear our presentation. The challenge ended with, “Please be ready at 2:00. Good Luck.” When we realized that they were serious, we were somewhat shocked. I remember thinking, “I can’t do this. It’s too much to do in too little time.” As we settled down we decided to give it a try, but we were doubtful. After 36 hours of very intense thinking, planning, group and individual work,

8

and some chaos, we had a product. We worked right down to the line. At 1:50 we were arranging chairs and even made a last minute change of speakers. One of the new speakers was me. I did not choose to be a speaker. At that time it was very difficult for me to speak in front of groups. I agreed to be a speaker because we had all worked so hard that I did not want to let this group down. By 2:00 we were ready. We did it! I made a very important switch in my thinking from “I can’t do this” to “We did do this.” There was a feeling of collaborative accomplishment. We were excited and proud of ourselves and what we had done. We owned it. This experience was truly collaborative. We accomplished something of quality that we did not think we could do. We produced something together that we could not have done separately. We trusted one another to do our best on the parts that we couldn’t do, and we each did our best for the group and our common goal. This was only possible because a strong community and group culture were in place. It is the mission of a primary Critical Skills teacher to create a classroom culture and a series of worthwhile challenges that allow students to develop trust in one another, confidence in the group, and pride in achievement. This work develops and strengthens collaboration which in turn enhances and optimizes learning. Without these three elements in my Critical Skills Institute

— trust, confidence in one another, and pride in our achievement, we may have cooperated, but we never would have truly collaborated. Final Words on Community Building

If the development of a collaborative learning community is difficult at any level and even more difficult in the early grades, why take the risk and time needed when we have so much else to do? For me, the answer is that a collaborative learning experience enhances and enriches everything we do in the classroom and in life. Creating a culture that allows my students to realize the power of collaboration is my lifelong gift to them. What if every student had just one quality collaborative experience for every year of school? What kinds of people would we see develop? What kinds of values would they have and share? What kinds of parents, citizens and leaders would they become? I think of establishing the collaborative learning community as preparing the soil for a garden. You rototill and you fertilize. Depending on the type of plants, you might add a little of this or a little of that to balance the soil. You do some companion planting. Then you have to nurture it. Periodically, you will have to add food and pull out the weeds. You can grow a garden without all of this. However, when you do it well and it works, just watch the growth and quality of your plants! Watch them take off!

These are other rituals and traditions that you might find useful in the primary grades: Class/Community Meetings: Meetings can be held daily or at least routinely. These can have rituals within them, like specific ways to begin or end them, or ground rules for content or procedure. Classroom meetings can include songs, math games, daily job assignments, and the discussion of classroom issues. The limit is your imagination. Huddling after presentations: after each small group presents work that it has completed or that is in process, each of the other groups can be asked to “huddle” to consider the one thing that they liked best about the work presented, the one improvement they might suggest, etc. This feedback is given directly to the presenting group. “Base” or “Home” Groups: groups established for a given period of time that are responsible for attendance for their group, for collecting or distributing materials, and for communicating information to absent group members. Compliment Time: an everyday opportunity for children to compliment others within their learning community on something they’ve done well. Thumbs: used as a means of checking understanding, taking a reading on a group’s feelings, or looking for consensus. Thumbs up: complete agreement; thumbs wavering: not certain; thumbs down: definitely not. Lineups: When it is time to move out of the classroom to a different location, there could be an expectation that students will have to solve a quick lineup

That is the beauty of gardening, and that is the beauty of collaboration in the Critical Skills classroom.

9

problem before they can leave. Examples: line up in alphabetical order by first names; line up by shirt color, by height, by shoe size. Greeting Students and Guests at the Classroom Door: a gracious way to welcome visitors. Meals with Students and Parents: an annual event prior to or during the school year to include parents in the classroom community. Class Names/Banners/Logos/Cheers/Songs/TShirts: at the beginning of the year, the class chooses a name, creates a banner or logo, etc., to help identify itself as a team or community. Student-Run Parent Conferences: periodic meetings with parents in which students direct a portfolio sharing. Summer Letter Home: a communication to families that focuses on the classroom community that will be built during the subsequent year — including names of class members, expressions of excitement and anticipation for community sharing and growth, and so on. Graduation Ceremonies: student-planned programs that celebrate rites of passage/ shared by the broader community. Unit Completion or Holiday Party Planning: student-planned celebrations of their learning or of a holiday event.

10

Diana Leddy Diana has been teaching for thirty two years at all K-8 grade levels but her heart is at the kindergarten level. She holds degrees from Boston College in Elementary and Special Education minoring in Gifted Education. She received a Masters of Education from Antioch University New England in 1999 concentrating in the Critical Skills Program. Her work also includes curriculum design and a whole-school enrichment program at the Newton School in South Strafford, Vermont. Diana has been working with the Vermont Department of Education to develop statewide curriculum and assessment programs and was selected the 2009 Vermont Teacher of the Year. She has co-authored a book with the Vermont Writing Collaborative, Writing for Understanding: Using Backward Design to Help Students Write Effectively. On teaching Critical Skills to primary students, she states, “I find that building curriculum around a ‘problem-to-be-solved’ is an effective way to craft learning experiences that address today’s complex standards. This structure guides me in designing activities that are standardsbased, integrated, connected, collaborative, and highly motivating. In my experience, the goals of Primary Education and Problem-Based Learning mesh beautifully. The trick is to apply what we know about young children to Problem-Based Learning. I share some of my own insights with you here, but in the end the key to successfully using problems in your primary classroom is to learn to trust your own instincts.”

11

Problem-Based Learning by Diana Leddy Problem-based learning is the use of carefully crafted and connected challenges as the primary vehicle of instruction in the classroom. These challenges pose a problem for students to solve, as individuals, in small groups or as a full learning community. As a kindergarten teacher attending my first Critical Skills Institute, I was excited by the idea of building my curriculum around “problemsto-be-solved.” Young children willingly embrace more “challenges” in one day than many adults do in a year. Picture the toddler determined to walk across the room or the preschooler puzzling over a toppled block building. I knew, that for my five-year-olds, solving problems was already a way of life. I was anxious to find out how I could help children use these familiar skills to master the basics of my curriculum. I can still remember how disappointed I was when I looked at the example of a problem-based challenge. I skimmed the page crammed with text, stared at the long list of quality criteria and even indulged in a short daydream about what it would be like to teach students who had the skills and confidence to attack a problem like this one! In September of their kindergarten year, my students were just beginning to identify letters, could sit and listen for a maximum of five minutes (on a good day) and were working hard just

to remember the names of all their classmates. Try as I might, I could find little connection between this long, complicated sample challenge and my little five-year-olds. Yet somehow it seemed as if these two–problem solving and primary education–ought to connect. The concepts behind problem-based learning– learning by doing, student constructed knowledge, relevant content, the opportunity to connect learning to prior experience–had long been acknowledged as the foundation of quality primary instruction. Like most primary teachers, I knew I could make good use of a tool that focused my planning around these goals. The Critical Skills “challenge” seemed to be such a tool, but it would clearly need restructuring to work in my kindergarten classroom. After some experimentation and much reflection, I have had some success with crafting and using problem-based challenges in the primary classroom. As I suspected, in many ways it has been easier for me to successfully use this new methodology than for my colleagues who teach in the upper grades. Once you get started, problem-based learning fits naturally into the child-centered classroom. To help you begin I have organized some sample challenges around five basic ideas. For each idea,

12

I have included two example challenges. The first challenge in the pair is followed by a discussion describing what it was like to do this activity in my classroom. The second challenge is annotated briefly with notes that highlight important points. I hope these examples and annotations will help you to experiment with problem-based learning in your primary classroom. I expect that many of the “tips” I offer here for working with problem-based challenges at the primary level will seem simple and obvious to you. That is because the key to using Critical Skills with young children is based on a concept you use in your work every day, that is; instruction must be guided by what we know about how young children learn.To experiment with Critical Skills in your primary classroom, begin with this premise. Don’t be afraid to return to it whenever you face a question about how to proceed. Five Basic Ideas for Challenges 1. Share the responsibility for creating the learning environment. 2. Seize the moment! 3. Keep the content simple when introducing new skills. 4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Turn a familiar learning activity into a problem-to-be-solved. 5. Just as you always have, make sure that process and product reflect the concrete learning style of young children.

Plimoth Plantation Task:

1. Share the responsibility for creating the learning environment.

Use what we have learned about the Pilgrims to create a house from Plimoth Plantation in our dramatic play area. Work in small groups to design and create a backdrop for the inside of the house. Make a list of things you will need to pretend with in this area, so we can gather them for you. You will find the information you need in the books, videos, and photos on the back table. Your classmates or a parent volunteer will help you with choosing and drawing. Be sure that the things you choose to draw and gather: n

belong in Pilgrim times and were important to the Pilgrims.

n

give us many ideas for pretending to be Pilgrims.

Your backdrop must show at least one drawing from each member of the class. Before drawing, your ideas must be passed through a team of “curators” (an adult and 2 children). The curators will ask you to explain your choice and help you decide where and how to draw it.

Purpose: Specific Knowledge:

To explore the question: How does what we need and what we have shape our lives? What was life like for the Pilgrims in America in 1627? 3 The Pilgrims did not have access to the technological advances we have today (electricity, TV, computers, cell phones, internet). 3 The Pilgrims had few possessions; nearly all were geared to basic survival. 3 The Pilgrims were largely self-sufficient.

Product: Quality Criteria:

“Life sized” backdrop for Plimoth house. List of things needed to set up the dramatic play area — to be used during pretend play. 3 Be sure that the things you choose to draw and gather: n

belong in Pilgrim times and were important to the Pilgrims.

n

give us many ideas for pretending to be Pilgrims.

3 Your backdrop must show at least one drawing from each member of the class. Before drawing, your ideas must be passed through a team of “curators” (an adult and 2 children). The curators will ask you to explain your choice and help you decide where and how to draw it.

Skill/Disposition:

Critical Thinking: Analyze a variety of resources to gather information. Ability to point to specific sources as justification for decisions.

Getting started:

The teacher gathers a number of visual resources for the students to use (picture books, videos, etc) and recruit a parent volunteer to work with small heterogeneous groups of students.

13

Plimoth Plantation: Discussion Ever since I visited the historical re-creation of Plimoth Plantation, I had longed to set up a similar scene in my Kindergarten Drama Area. Like many Primary teachers, I traditionally changed my thematic centers every 4-6 weeks. My family knew the first weekend of each month would likely find me moving furniture and materials around my classroom.

students how to evaluate their work than to abstractly describe what they needed to do. My volunteer had been instructed to fade into the background as soon as students picked up the language and skills they needed to complete the task.

“Plimoth” was my first attempt at turning this process over to my students. This problem-based challenge renewed my assertion that even very young children can understand complex material if it is presented in a developmentally appropriate manner. It also changed the way I spend my weekends!

An enormous amount of historical information arose from designing the backdrop and generating the list of items needed to complete the center. By rotating the role of curator, each child received an opportunity to be a reflective as well as an active participant. The process was in some ways similar to an archeological expedition as each “find” sparked discussion of the lives of real people who may have used it.

After I explained the challenge, my kindergarten class discussed the eventual creation of “Plimoth” and spent a little time each day gathering information through readings, photos of the historical re-creation, a video, and even songs from the time period. We critically discussed the possessions of the Pilgrims and how these reflected their daily actions, resources and needs.

The finished backdrop was a wonderful addition to our drama area. The area stayed set up for several weeks, giving students a chance to use and refine their understandings through play. The success of this project has fundamentally changed the way I plan for my classroom. Now, engineering our classroom environment has become an exercise in research and problem solving for my students, rather than a weekend chore for me. Each month a small group of students is responsible for designing and creating a dramatic play area to compliment our current theme. My students have designed a classroom post office, a store and a working library. They have learned to send home notes requesting the items they need. They have even taken the responsibility for requesting field trips and inviting “consultants” from the community to help with their research.

When we were ready to start designing, I recruited a parent volunteer to work with small groups (5 students) during choice time for several days. We spread all of our reference materials out so they were easily available, and encouraged the children to use them as they made choices and decisions. Our volunteer carefully explained the idea of “curators” to the children and she used her shared position as a curator to impart adult expertise on dimension, placement and color, as well as to encourage children to support their decisions with evidence and reason. In a task like this involving many new skills and complex thinking, it is often helpful to have an adult participant who can model helpful questions and provide support as students develop a process that works. In this case, it was far easier to show

Designing a learning environment presents many natural opportunities for problem solving. Even the youngest students can and should be a part of this process.

14

1. Share the responsibility for creating the learning environment.

Create an Interest Table Task:

Next week we will begin a new unit on “chicks.” Create an interest table that the class will add to as we work. Remember that everything on the table must relate to our new theme. Be sure to include: 3

A large clear sign to let us know the topic.

3

At least three good books (they can be fact or fiction).

3

An art activity.

3

A counting activity.

3

A place where people can write down questions.

3

Other items related to the topic that the class may find fun and interesting.

I will be happy to help you find resources and materials. Let me know what you need.

Purpose:

To help students draw connections between their current knowledge and new learning.

Product:

An interest table focused on the theme of “chicks” containing the elements listed above.

Skills/Dispositions:

Creative Thinking: Expanding existing ideas. Integrating seemingly unrelated ideas. Management: Taking on important elements of responsibility. Ownership: Taking responsibility for the processes and outcomes of learning.

15

Create an Interest Table: Notes This type of challenge is best introduced mid-year, after students have seen many teacher-created models and are familiar with the structure of your classroom. You might even want to begin more slowly by assigning students to design only certain features of the table (for instance a counting activity) while you create others.

visit the library to stock your bookshelf, another group creates a bulletin board, and a third group designs a dramatic play area. If you create a rotating calendar, you can ensure that all groups have the opportunity to take responsibility for different aspects of your classroom. It is fine to ask a parent volunteer or older student to assist each group, especially when you first start out. Be sure to let volunteers know that your goal is student ownership, and to explain the role of a “coach” to those who help in your classroom. You may need to model this role yourself.

This challenge can be used each time you change a theme or begin a new unit. You may even want to try dividing your class randomly into small groups and presenting each group with a related challenge. Have one group

role e h t l Mode ch! of coa

16

The Biggest Apple 2. Sieze the moment!

Task:

Purpose: Specific Knowledge:

Before our field trip to Greenfield’s Orchard, our principal, Mr. Louis, asked us to bring back the largest apple we could find. While picking, we filled a whole bag with “Mr. Louis’ apples.” Decide which of our large apples is “the biggest” so we can give Mr. Lewis what he asked for. To explore the question, “What is big?” Introduce non-standard measurement. Begin to associate written numerals with quantities. n

Counting (1-20) Using a balance scale to determine weight n Measuring circumference n Identifying/writing numerals n Using numerals to record data n

r eyes u o y p g Kee learnin r o f open nities! u t r o p op

Product:

Consensus on which apple is the largest and some written evidence explaining how you chose it.

Quality Criteria:

(To be determined by the class after some exploration). Which of the many different kinds of “big” is the most appropriate standard for this problem?

Skill/Disposition:

Decision-making: Looking at options, gathering data, recording data, seeking advice, and drawing conclusions.

Getting Started:

Try a full class brainstorming session. List ways to determine how “big” each apple is (weighing, measuring circumference, height, etc.).

17

The Biggest Apple: Discussion This seemingly simple problem began with an off-handed request from Mr. Louis that we bring him “the biggest apple” we could find on our field trip to the apple orchard. At Greenfield’s, my Kindergartners kept handing me “the biggest apple for Mr. L.” Soon we had a bag full of “biggest” apples. When the students asked me which one should go to Mr. Louis, I decided to turn this real-life problem over to them.

drawn as student “explainers” and we all headed to Mr. L.’s office for a formal presentation. At home, Anna had become so taken with the project that she and her mom had made a huge papier maché apple. We presented this first and there was much laughter as Mr. L. feigned “shock” at the size of our apple. Our two explainers then presented the real apple and our fact sheet listing its weight and circumference. The students did a wonderful job explaining our decision making process. The excitement and sense of accomplishment at this presentation was palpable, and the children talked about it for weeks afterward.

The excitement generated by this activity took me by surprise. We worked on it for nearly a week, and each day it was the first thing children asked about as they arrived. After brainstorming different ways to measure our apples, the class formed subgroups. Each group had a different job. The first group sorted the apples into “large” and “small,” narrowing our choices to include about a dozen apples. Subsequent groups weighed the apples on a balance scale and measured their circumferences with learning links. Progress was reported to the full class at the end of each day.

In analyzing the success of this event, I think there were three key factors. The first was that it was a real-life problem. It occurred naturally and was of importance to all members of the class. The second was that the problem was clear and the end product was easily defined within the context of the problem. This problem did not necessitate long lists to clarify standards or products, which can be confusing to beginning readers. The third was that we knew all along that eventually we would have an audience. It was clear to me that what was driving the students’ excitement was the anticipation of Mr. Louis’s reaction to their work.

The “fattest” apple turned out not to be the heaviest and a wonderful discussion ensued in which we had to decide which standard was more appropriate to the problem. We finally decided Mr. Louis wanted more apple to eat and used weight as our main criterion.

The natural curiosity of young children, and the problems generated as they interact with their world, present unexpected opportunities for problem finding and problem solving. Often, the best challenges are the ones that do not originate in your plan book. Keep your eyes open for the learning opportunities that come your way each day.

The class then met to review our process and results and to be sure everyone could explain what we had done and found out. Two names were randomly

18

The Morning After Halloween 2. Sieze the moment!

Task:

As you know, last night someone spread egg and shaving cream all over the kindergarten playground as a Halloween “trick.” Whoever has done this needs to understand how sad and angry the Kindergartners are today. As a class, write a letter to the people who vandalized our playground. Explain the problems they have caused and how badly you feel right now. We will post your letter in town and send it to the local newspaper. We hope that whoever has done this will see your letter and understand that vandalism is not funny.

Purpose:

To explore the question, “How can we react constructively when faced with the results of destructive behavior.?”

Product:

A letter to the editorial column of the local paper presenting this incident from a Kindergartner’s point of view.

Skill/Disposition:

Ownership Feels empowered to take appropriate action on issues and problems. Communication Expressing feelings clearly and honestly. Writing with purpose and clarity.

The Morning After Halloween: Discussion The premise underlying any problem-based curriculum is that identifying and solving problems is an essential and transferable skill. We want our students to become competent problem solvers so that they will confidently attack the problems, large and small, that come their way each day. Watch carefully for the opportunity to channel your students’ concerns into activities that are empowering and enriching. Perhaps your students are upset by litter on the playground or the removal of a special tree. Maybe they have voiced the need for a place to

19

play safely or come to school saddened by the sight of a homeless person. Help your students to frame these concerns as a problem to be addressed, and then coach them through the process of responding appropriately to it. Explain that big problems like these do not get solved all at once, but that the work of many people over time can make a difference. This kind of challenge teaches even the youngest students that they can respond constructively to situations which might otherwise lead to anger or despair. Help your students to learn that strong emotions are often a signal that something needs to be done and that they have the power to do it.

Sand on the Floor 3. Keep the content simple when introducing new skills.

Task:

John, the janitor, has asked us to try to keep the area around the sand table cleaner. Sand keeps spilling onto the floor around the sand table. The sand makes the floor uncomfortable to walk and sit upon, wastes sand, and creates extra work for John. How can we keep the floor around the sand table clean?

Purpose:

To explore the questions: What does it mean to be a responsible member of a community? How do groups work together to solve problems?

Product:

A clean floor.

Quality Criteria:

n

John, the janitor, will check the floor around the table each day. The class will meet with John to discuss how we can tell if the floor is clean enough. n The class will set up a way for John to let us know if we are keeping the floor clean enough. n

Skill/Disposition:

Getting Started:

Problem Solving: Brainstorming alternatives. Choosing reasonable alternatives. Carrying out solutions. Evaluating solutions. As a class, brainstorm ways to keep the floor clean.

20

Sand on the Floor: Discussion I was a bit embarrassed the day our school janitor tactfully drew my attention to the state of the floor under the sand table. When, despite reminders, shovels full of sand kept appearing on the floor, a problem solving session seemed in order.

Groups of children worked to make charts, reminder signs and construct a lip around the table (this provided some great opportunities for number, letter and fine motor skill development!). The first four days, we received a smiling trash can from John. The most unlikely students were sweeping under the sand table without prompting.

The class met, I defined the problem, and we began brainstorming. The children’s solutions were wonderful: put paper under the table for easy clean up, create a lip around the sand table, clean up before moving on to a new center. When we had finished thinking and evaluating we had 6 good ideas to try.

After school on the fifth day I waded through a small pile of sand. The thrill had worn off! The resulting “X” from John caused much discussion and renewed vigilance. The students’ efforts were rewarded by a clean floor and another smiling trash can. This pattern held throughout the remainder of the year — renewed commitment and success always followed occasional lapses. For the most part, the area stayed presentable with no further adult intervention.

At clean up time, I noticed that my students seemed to have very different definitions of “clean.” I used this opportunity to introduce the idea of setting quality standards. After a long and unproductive discussion on “How do we know we have done a good job cleaning up the sand ?” it became clear that an expert opinion was called for.

Daily needs and routines can present wonderful opportunities for young children to learn about the problem solving process. Brainstorming, coming to consensus, and setting standards are often best introduced in a simple, non-academic context. The power to make decisions about daily routines such as taking attendance, milk count and clean up also promotes a sense of pride and ownership. Consider allowing your students to take responsibility for solving some of the little problems you face each day.

We decided to invite John Freeman, our janitor, in for a meeting. Our discussion with John resulted in a pictorial list and the decision that he would examine the area around the sand table each day when he cleaned. If we had done well, he would let us know by drawing a happy face. If we had not met the standard we would receive an “X.” I talked to John afterward privately, asking that he maintain high expectations.

21

Bag of Apples 3. Keep the content simple when introducing new skills.

Task:

On our trip to Greenfield’s Orchard we all worked to pick a “community bag” of apples. We have already chosen the largest apple and given it to Mr. Louis. What do we do with the rest of the apples in that bag?

Purpose:

To explore the question: “How do large groups make thoughtful decisions for the common good?”

Product:

A responsible, creative, mutually agreeable use for the apples.

Quality Criteria:

Skill/Disposition:

✓ ✓ ✓

decision must be by consensus. decision must reflect respect for the work of the tree (in producing apples) and the work of the pickers. decision must be able to be carried out (be practical).

Creative Thinking Problem Solving Generating many original alternatives. Evaluating potential solutions. Arriving at a group consensus.

Bag of Apples: Discussion This type of simple real life problem can be used as an opportunity to introduce the concept of consensus decision making. If inappropriate suggestions are made (smashing the apples on the road), accept these without comment as part of the brainstorming process— they will later be eliminated as disrespectful.

22

With young children, it is sometimes difficult to balance the amount of time needed for productive discussion with the amount of time your students can reasonably sit still. Often, the desire to get up and move around becomes a natural (and perhaps helpful) constraint. However, if the decision you need to make is important, don’t be afraid to take a break and reconvene later.

Potlach 4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Turn a familiar learning activity into a problem to be solved.

Task:

Plan a Potlach celebration for your family and friends. During your Potlach, you will need to explain to your guests what a Potlach is and why the Native Americans of the Northwest coast traditionally held Potlaches. Be ✓ ✓ ✓

sure to show that Potlaches were used: To announce important events (transfer of property, wills, births, adoptions and deaths). As a social event (an opportunity to see people, share stories, dance). As a way to share resources and wealth (hosts provided extravagant feasts and gifts).

Your celebration can include both traditional activities of the Alaskan people and new “traditions” you create yourself. Be sure to explain the importance of each part of the celebration to your guests.

Purpose:

To explore how traditional celebrations reflect the needs and beliefs of a culture.

Product:

An educational and enjoyable Potlach.

Quality Criteria: Skill/Disposition

To be set by students in response to the question “What would make a good Potlach celebration?” Creative Thinking: Expanding existing ideas. Synthesizing old ideas into unique or fresh approaches. Communication: Speaking with preparation.

Getting Started:

After setting quality standards as a whole class, divide students into 3 groups and have each group focus on one of the three purposes listed above.

23

Potlach: Discussion This challenge is adapted from an activity previously used to culminate a unit on Alaska. In the past, I have presented all of the information on the Potlach celebration to the class, planned the event myself and led the students in preparing the songs, stories and crafts we would use. I found that value of the activity increased significantly when the responsibility for hosting the Potlach was transferred to the students.

groups did a wonderful job. One group illustrated and presented a traditional story, a second worked with the Art teacher to make drums decorated with Native American designs to give as gifts, another gave us all new “Inuit” names and made a cardboard totem pole to honor our families.

Because this kind of activity was very new for me and my class, I decided to provide the students with a supportive structure. I gave the whole class some background on the Potlach before they started to work. I identified the three major purposes of the ceremony for them, and gathered some references and resources for each group in advance. I randomly divided the class into three groups, and posted a sentence strip to remind each group which function of the Potlach they were focusing on. Then we worked together to decide what a high quality Potlach would look like and sound like.

Developing these activities helped students to both solidify and expand their understanding of Inuit culture. The activities provided me with many opportunities to assess the students’ understanding. The group that illustrated an Alaskan tale about a Frog-Prince, for example, included European-style castles and crowns in their initial sketches. A mini lesson and discussion put them back on track. Designing decorations for the drums led to a discussion of what materials would have been available, and additional research uncovered the symbolic relationship between certain colors, characteristics and Alaskan animals. Students shared discoveries like these with each other at the end of each work session.

After all of this organizing, the task they were left with — designing a piece of the ceremony around a controlling idea — was more than enough to challenge their problem solving skills. The students were excited by the idea of a celebration and were motivated to produce high quality work. All of the

When we had finished, the class had actually covered more content than I usually did, and worked on many critical skills as well. When designing challenges, remember that a familiar classroom activity can often form a firm foundation for developing a problem-based challenge.

24

The Dig!

4. Don’t Task: reinvent the wheel. Turn a ght familiar Highli ortant imp nts! learning poi activity into a problem to be solved. Purpose: Specific Knowledge: Product: Skill/Disposition:

You are a member of the famous Stone Research Team. Your group has been on an archeological dig in Egypt. You have been digging for a week, but had found nothing—until today! This morning you discovered a collection of amulets in excellent condition. Next Wednesday, you are supposed to report on what you have found to the woman who gave you money to go on this expedition. You will need to hand her notes about what you found and explain what it meant to the ancient Egyptians. Your Mission: ✓ Figure out what it is you have found and what it meant to the ancient Egyptians. ✓ Time is limited, you must work with at least one other person to get your research done in time! ✓ Use the note taking method you have learned in class to make at least 3 note cards about your discovery. ✓ Each person in your group must be able to explain at least one note card to your rich benefactor next Wednesday. Good Luck Stone Research Team. I can’t wait to hear your findings!! How can we decide which information is most important and communicate it effectively? To practice note-taking skills. To practice giving an informal presentation from notes. An oral presentation that effectively explains the most important things about your amulet. Communication Speaking informally with preparation. Reading for understanding. Organization Categorizing and prioritizing competing elements. Employing organizational tools.

25

The Dig!: Discussion This challenge was the culminating activity of a unit on note-taking and research skills. These skills had been formally taught and practiced before this challenge was given. Before beginning this challenge, students dressed up and dug in our sandbox to discover amulets (made of clay). The task they were given takes common academic skills like researching, note-taking and oral reporting and makes learning these skills more exciting and more meaningful by wrapping them in a scenario. Primary students love scenarios, which are so

similar to the “let’s pretend” games that dominate their play. Where possible, add props and costumes to make challenges more fun! Using color, italics, or boldface print in the text of your challenges helps students focus on important elements of a challenge. It is also a way to model the highlighting of important information — a skill they will learn to do for themselves later in the year.

26

Boxtown 5. Make sure that process and product reflect the concrete learning styles of young children.

Task:

Research one of the important buildings in our town. Find out : ✓ where it is. ✓ what it looks like. ✓ what it is used for. ✓ who works there (or takes care of it) and what they do. You may work alone or with a partner to build a model of your building from cardboard boxes. Then use your research and your model to teach the Kindergartners about your building.

Purpose: Specific Knowledge

To explore the question: What makes a community? Social Studies:

Mathematics:

✓ To recognize community landmarks.

✓ To identify attributes of shape, color and size.

✓ To verbalize directions and locations.

✓ To introduce the names of common 3-dimensional shapes (prism, pyramid, sphere, cylinder, cone).

✓ To state kinds of work people do. ✓ To state jobs in the area. ✓ To define neighborhood and state where we live. ✓ To recognize dependency on community members for goods and services.

✓ To find 2-dimensional shapes within the 3-dimensional figures. ✓ To use a straight-edge to draw line segments. ✓ To introduce the naming of points and line segments.

✓ To identify adults by jobs held in the community. Product

Skill/Disposition:

Getting Started:

Community members should be able to easily identify your building from your model. Your model should be accurate in details like shape, size, color, windows, doors, and signs. When the kindergartners visit, you should be able to explain clearly where the original building is and how the town uses the building. Problem Solving: Seeking out resources using knowledge, experience and the senses. Evaluating and testing ideas. Observing results and responding accordingly. Before you begin, the class will need to decide: Which buildings to make and who will make them. How you will get the information you need. What materials you will need.

27

Boxtown: Discussion This project became the focus of a first grade unit on “Communities.” As children constructed their buildings, I found that their work addressed many math objectives as well, and began to consciously incorporate math language and mathematical concepts into my dialogue with students as they worked. I began by writing this challenge on a piece of chart paper, that remained up until the project was finished. Together, we read it carefully and highlighted key words that would help us understand what we needed to do. Next we brainstormed a list of important buildings in Strafford. This led to a wonderful discussion that touched on everything from history to the goods and services members of a town need. I had students choose their own buildings. Most decided to work in pairs. On the following day, we reviewed what we needed to find out and talked about how to get that information. Our school is within walking distance of most of the buildings we chose, so the students decided to conduct their research “in the field.” We arranged for an aide (a parent volunteer would work as well) to take small groups of students into town to study their building and interview its occupants. Before setting out, we needed to decide how to record this information. Quite by accident, the class came up with an extremely effective structure for recording their research. We began the project in late January, a bitterly cold month in Vermont. I suppose I had pictured students wandering around with clipboards and pencils, writing and drawing. This image quickly dissolved when an astute first grader raised his hand and asked, “How can we write in our mittens?” Pushing back my own initial panic, I threw the problem back out to the class. We finally decided to take photos of our buildings and to record our observations and interviews on audio tape. These two techniques perfectly suited the concrete learning style of my students, and have since become standard methods for recording research in my classroom. Photos can be used for recording observations, presenting information or even as student “notes” for an oral presentation. Tape recordings

can be listened to again and again, can be transcribed by a volunteer, or can later be summarized in writing by the student on a guided note taking form. My students loved researching and recording in this active, authentic way. In fact, their observations were so detailed and their building plans so complex, I decided to invite some parent volunteers to help us on construction day. I met with volunteers before school, explaining that their role was primarily to help students overcome practical obstacles like cutting through thick cardboard or sawing wooden dowels. I gave each volunteer a list of questions that might help students work through problems and make decisions. To my surprise, only one of my volunteers had difficulty in allowing the students to be self-directed (I stepped in and helped her with the group). Construction took two full mornings. Other activities (making a “community helper wheel,” playing the computer game “Sim Town,” and block building) were available to students who were finished or just needed a break. The finished models were incredible, and the students decided to create a scavenger hunt to teach the kindergarten about their buildings. We displayed our Boxtown at Town Meeting where the whole community enjoyed it. The success of this project lay primarily in the fact that it was designed to engage young children actively and concretely. Students moved around, asked questions, and used all their senses to complete their research. They processed what they had discovered by constructing knowledge — literally! The construction of the models invited physical manipulation of their data during problem solving. Boxes could be stacked and unstacked. Doors and windows could be cut out and held up before gluing. Finally, they presented what they had learned both orally and in a physical construction. These characteristics, which primary teachers have long known are essential to a good lesson, are also essential to creating a good challenge. When designing challenges for young children, it is important to remember that research and reporting, process and products, don’t necessarily involve encyclopedias and written reports.

28

5. Make sure that process and product reflect the concrete learning styles of young children.

Painting a Rainbow Task:

Specific Knowledge: Product: Skill/Disposition:

We have decided to add a big rainbow to our science mural. We know that rainbows have seven colors in a special order. The problem is we have only three colors of paint: red, blue and yellow. Can we still paint our rainbow? If so, how can we make the colors we need? Record your discoveries on the rainbow chart at the Art Center. Primary colors can be mixed to produce secondary colors. A color “recipe” for each of the seven colors of the rainbow, recorded on the rainbow chart. Problem Solving: Constructing and employing problem solving strategies Evaluating and testing ideas Observing results and responding appropriately

Painting a Rainbow: Discussion This problem requires hands-on problem solving and allows students to record their experimentation and findings without using written words.

The following day the same center can be set up to allow students to use the color recipes written to mix paints and complete the mural.

group refocuses its efforts to create another color until all the needed combinations have been found).

The final product–a rainbow mural–is easy to visualize and allows students to concretely demonstrate the mastery of concepts.

You may want to provide individual record sheets, encouraging each child to “discover” all of the color combinations. Alternately, you can place one large chart at the center, and ask your students to solve this problem as a group.

When they have finished, students should be asked to verbalize their process and describe their product. Putting their solution into oral language lays down a bridge that will eventually allow the child to move from physical to abstract problem solving.

This problem works well as a center activity during choice time. The chart of results can be presented to the class at the end of the period.

(Once a color has been created and recorded, the

29

Closing Thoughts on Designing Problem-Based Challenges for the Primary Classroom Problem-based learning and contemporary primary education share many of the same methods and goals. As a primary teacher you are likely to be comfortable with the active, integrated, experiential learning that typically occurs in the Critical Skills classroom. To improve your teaching practice, try to build on what you already do well.

✓ There are many ways for students to learn and demonstrate learning besides written language.When designing challenges for young children, it is important to remember that processes and products, such as research and reporting, should be active and concrete. ✓ The natural curiosity of young children, and the problems generated as they interact with their world, present unexpected opportunities for problem finding and problem solving. Often, the best challenges are the ones that do not originate in your plan book. Keep your eyes open for the learning opportunities that come your way each day.

Remember: ✓ You can use a familiar classroom activity as a firm foundation for developing a problem-based challenge. ✓ Daily needs and routines can present wonderful opportunities for young children to learn about the problem solving process. Allow your students to take responsibility for solving some of the little problems you face each day.

A final caution: don’t be confused by the form and style of challenges created for the upper grades. Most problems designed for older students will not work for young ones. The bottom line is that good primary challenges must incorporate a solid understanding of how primary students learn. As a primary teacher, you know that effective curriculum begins with the child, problem-based curriculum is no exception.

✓ Designing a learning environment presents many natural opportunities for problem solving. Even the youngest students can and should be a part of this process.

30

Elizabeth A. Reid Elizabeth has been teaching at the primary grade level in the Monadnock Regional School District in southwestern New Hampshire since 1975. She holds degrees in Education from Fitchburg State College and Antioch University New England. She considers herself primarily a “traditional” teacher, but uses her Critical Skills experience to augment and ensure students acquire essential knowledge. About the C ritical Skills model, she notes, “Traditional and Critical Skills classrooms differ most in how the knowledge is being constructed and by whom.”

31

Standards-Driven Learning by Elizabeth Reid Teaching Critical Skills in a primary classroom is a bit different than teaching in middle and high school classrooms. However, those of us “down in the trenches” at the primary level know everything looks a bit different down here! I remember thinking during my first Critical Skills Institute, “This is cool stuff, too bad I can’t do it with my little guys.” It took a while for me to start putting the pieces together in my primary classroom.

right away? “No way!” I thought. It was almost a year later that I realized many of tools I had learned and experienced in my first Critical Skills Institute were being used in my classroom. I now see it as a framework upon which to build. The model offered me new techniques with which to experiment in my practice. What I discovered enriched my teaching. And, better yet, it enriched the learning experiences of my students.

Most of the examples given at my first Critical Skills Institute seemed far from applicable to my primary classroom. But, as I reflected on the Critical Skills philosophy and methodology, I saw many connections to my first grade practice. I hold my students to high standards, I want them to be owners of their learning. I feel triumphant when my students have an “aha!” moment; especially when they come upon it on their own and can tell me so! I employ cooperative learning techniques. I know that many students don’t gain the understanding they need the first time through a unit or theme. I have learned that I need to provide an opportunity to strengthen their understanding then to apply it and or take it to a higher level in a subsequent learning cycle.

Seven years after attending my first Institute, my teaching is still “a work in progress,” but I have some “pearls of wisdom” to offer on implementing the Critical Skills model in your primary classroom:

There were many common threads between Critical Skills and my classroom practice, but could I use the model in my first grade classroom

1. Share learning goals with your students. 2. Never mix a new process with new content. 3. Model a new process with the full class first. 4. Recycle. 5. Remember, you are part of the learning community. 6. Don’t be afraid to “teach.”

32

1. Share learning goals with your students. The Four Broad Ideas from the core of the Critical Skills model are: experiential learning problem-based learning standards-driven learning, and collaborative learning communities. Of the Four Broad Ideas, the one I embraced most quickly was standards-driven learning. I’ve always considered myself a “meat and potatoes” teacher. I’m big on content, content, content. I targeted it, taught it, but never let my students in on the “secret plan.” Why should I? No one had ever done that for me! I wasn’t even sure it was “legal.” The idea that students should clearly understand the goals for their own learning hit me like a lightning bolt, and it made total sense. If we want our students to come away with a particular understanding, why not share the destination with them up front? Why should they have to ferret out what it is they think we want? As teachers, we design and plan with a much clearer focus when we identify what we want our students to come away with at the end. Clearly articulated, understandable objectives help our students to focus. Many call this designing backward or beginning with the end in mind.

Learning standards drive our instruction and should be shared with our students. What a novel idea! It almost feels like cheating or giving answers to the test. In reality, it just focuses everyone and saves time. In the Critical Skills classroom, students share the responsibility for setting and meeting targeted standards for learning.

2. Never mix a new process with new content. Another important principle is: never mix a new process with new content. Whenever I have done this it’s been an instant recipe for disaster. If your class is using a process for the first time (setting quality criteria/standards, brainstorming, doing a W.A.S.H., completing a rubric, chunking a problem, etc.) introduce it using content they already know. (See the Level One Coaching Kit for descriptions of these techniques.) In my classroom, for example, I introduce the process of setting quality criteria in the context of our daily sharing time. My students have all had experience with sharing a story, a picture or a show-and-tell item. After I explain that we will be sharing something, I introduce the need to set quality criteria for our sharing. My first graders know what takes place during sharing time and this prior knowledge enables them to identify criteria for a high quality sharing experience for both presenter and audience.

I focus this part of our process under the critical skill of “Communication” and I let my students know this. “... By the end of the year I need to know and mark on your report card whether or not you have a good command of your communication skills.” I explain that speaking to an audience with eye contact, listening and giving good feedback to a presenter is part of using good communication skills. They will hear these exact words a 100 times before the year is out! I also make sure I give my students frequent feedback on how well they are meeting the criteria: “Wow, what good communication skills you just used by looking at your audience the whole time. Let me write myself a note and put it in your portfolio so I won’t forget how well you just did.” Sometimes we even use student volunteers to role play examples of staged, low-quality sharing. My students are free to focus on this new process (setting quality criteria) because they are dealing with familiar content (the sharing opportunities).

3. Model a new process with the full class first. Another tip for successfully introducing a new process is to model that process with the full class first. For example, brainstorming is a process I

33

usually introduce in September. I begin, again in the context of setting up our sharing time, by brainstorming a list of characteristics of good communication and poor communication. Since the brainstorm is a new process for my first graders, we learn it as a large group first. Later in the year small groups of four will break out from the large group to brainstorm and bring their work back to the large group. From this list, a few good standards are gleaned (with my guidance and student approval, of course).

4. Recycle. The quality criteria we set for good communication serve as standards for group shares all year long — whether we are sharing creative writing, a favorite book or an author. No need to reinvent the wheel each time when you can lay your hands on a perfectly good wheel that was used once somewhere else. Usually minimal “twisting and tweaking” will render criteria and procedures usable many times over. Not only does recycling save valuable classroom time, but it hammers home prior learning and helps to show connections between all that happens in the classroom and world beyond. Don’t confuse the students by always starting from scratch. Keep standards and procedures simple in the beginning, then make them more specific as you need to, and use them over and over. The criteria my class sets for sharing are the

foundation for our more formal presentations to one another and outside audiences for the entire year! When your students show you that setting criteria is within their “comfort zone” they can take this process skill and focus it on new content areas. Will one time through a new process do it? You know as well as I do, it won’t. However, each time you set criteria with your class, the process will come easier. Your quicker students will pick up on the process right away and help guide the others through the second time around. Laying a strong foundation here is slow, labor-intensive work. But, focusing on quality process will save you time later. And just when they get really good at it and it seems as though you can do some really great stuff . . . it’s time to pass them on to next year’s teacher!

5. Remember, you are part of the learning community. Always remember, you are part of the learning community in your classroom. If you see a lack of high standards or don’t believe the quality criteria are realistic, say so. Take the same opportunity to contribute as you give the students. You will be amazed at how much more students will buy into the process when they know they are not running the show and “anything goes” is not the rule.

However, be prepared to give a little if your students present a strong argument in favor of their perspective. This is a great opportunity to set the example of consensus building and negotiation. Sometimes your students’ decisions will set them up for less than desired results. Have your class deal with these results and re-address the problem during a debriefing session. It can be a very powerful learning experience.

6. Don’t be afraid to “teach.” Another problem I encountered when using Critical Skills in a primary classroom is that, for the most part, young children have a difficult time accessing information for a challenge. This was where I initially saw the biggest drawback to implementing the CSP model in a primary classroom. I have found that it is possible to overcome this obstacle by doing varying degrees of “front loading” or teaching new concepts and information first. Most problems or challenges I craft are designed to encourage children to communicate their knowledge or understanding of concepts through a formal presentation to other classmates, classrooms, parents or invited guests. These challenges encourage my students to reflect on what they know, find missing pieces, discover new information, and present their

34

understanding. In a unit on fractions, I do traditional whole group instruction first. After I am sure they have a basic understanding of the concept, I present them with a challenge to solve in small groups. This is where my students will have to demonstrate (and in many cases learn and relearn from one another) their understanding of the concept for assessment purposes. The children might be asked to contribute a couple of pages for a class book on fractions, design a poster demonstrating what a fraction is, or prepare a lesson for their peers on fractions. In the primary grades, it is often necessary to do quite a bit of direct instruction because young students have a limited ability to read and access information in content areas. My students find out early on that the teacher and other adults are good resources when they need information. I also encourage students who can handle doing more formal research to share information with their peers. Students learn quickly that people, as well as print material or other media, are resources to be used when solving a problem. As part of your teaching, encourage students to research. (I use the term ‘research’ very loosely. For some it may simply mean looking at pictures or repeating back what they’ve heard others say). Compliment someone for a bit of good outside research and you will be amazed at how quickly the epidemic spreads. Set up a small area as a

research center in the room. At first you might be the only contributor but eventually your students will begin to add to it. Soon it will hold internet articles, books from your school library, town library or from homes, as well as miscellaneous facts they gathered from adults and wrote down to share with others. Plant a seed and watch it grow. Take advantage of teachable moments to model this process. When a student’s research leads to a question, ask for permission to share the question and answer with the rest of the class. “If you thought of this question do you think others might be wondering about this too?” “Front loading” and “lectures on request” are two strategies I use often. I believe they are important elements of teaching, and I don’t make apologies for that! Remember, there is nothing wrong with making the knowledge you are targeting accessible to everyone. It can be difficult to give everyone a level playing field. All students need to be able to get to what they want to know. The primary teacher will find much that is familiar in the Critical Skills model. Learning by doing, working collaboratively, setting specific outcomes for learning, and open-ended problem solving have long had a place in the primary classroom. The Critical Skills model offers a template for planning, teaching and assessing that incorporates all of these concepts.

Putting It All Together: a Basic Primary Grade Challenge We are allowed to have 3 classroom parties each year. As a class we need to split up into 3 committees. Each committee is responsible for planning and giving a party for the rest of the class on their designated party day. Know:

Responsibilities of being a host/hostess of a class party.

Do:

Make decisions and be organized.

Be Like:

Be a community member and be self directed.

STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Sign up for party committees. 3. Set quality criteria. 4. Group work. 5. Present party. 6. Assessment rubric. 7. Debrief.

Putting It All Together: Discussion One of my favorite “real life problems” to give primary students early on is that of planning a holiday party. I begin by explaining to my class that we are allowed to have three classroom parties each year and I expect them to plan and host the parties. Each student will decide on a party to host and then work with a group to plan, organize and supply all party needs for one classroom party. Luckily, everyone always commits to this idea. They can’t wait to get started. The children sign up to be on one of the party committees. If I have 24 students I tack up 3 sign

35

up sheets (using a holiday graphic on the top of each page to help identify the holiday) with lines for 8 student names underneath. Once everyone is signed up and they have a party to help plan, I’ve got them hooked. This is a great challenge for practicing the process of setting quality criteria. We draw on our prior knowledge of parties to brainstorm a list of characteristics of these “outstanding” parties. Usually by now students can brainstorm in smaller groups, such as their party committees. After we bring our items to the large group we have a long list of

Putting It All Together: Discussion good party ideas and it is easy to whittle down and identify a few doable things for each of our parties. Once we have identified the minimum criteria for a quality party, we discuss how each committee will be held accountable for meeting them. During this discussion someone always wants to go beyond the minimum standards. It usually comes up naturally as a few students don’t wish to give up on having a pinata or some such item at their party. This is the perfect spot for me to introduce my “wowza” category on a rubric (the A+, Excellent, Advanced...whatever your top grade is). I explain that doing these extras would turn a good party into a really great party. The class needs to understand that not everyone will choose to go this far. Everyone needs to meet the minimum quality criteria/standards first; they can then go beyond the minimum if they choose. As the time for one of the parties draws near, we review the quality criteria as a class and the committee meets privately (usually during their recess) to plan their party. Once a plan is made the committee presents the plan to the large group and we check to see if the quality criteria have been met.

If the group decides to create their own game or a pinata, I will allow the children to take home the school supplies they need, or I will volunteer to let them work on their product in the room during their recesses the week before the party. Sometimes they agree to work together at the home of a committee member after school. The group understands that they need to supply any prizes or treats which go along with their game or activity. More often than not, they decide to work during their recess time and I get to eavesdrop on the best problem solving and decision making conversations. During their work time I am careful to touch base with the committee to see how everything is going. I ask if they have communicated their needs and responsibilities to their parents. If there seems to be a potential problem, we problem solve together. My students truly own the party and the process, and it saves me a lot of preparation prior to any holiday party! After the celebration is over, the class completes a rubric for the party committee and evaluates the party. It’s real and meaningful work for my young students. I love overhearing the party organizers’ plots and plans. They each think their party will be the best ever . . . and it usually is.

36

Each student knows first hand how hard everyone works to pull the parties off and their efforts are validated. The feedback they give one another is always kind, accurate and if a quality criterion was not met in an acceptable manner, students usually accept responsibility for it.

Learning Standards Standards-driven learning is an important element of the design-with-the-end-in-mind perspective. It is the “meat and potatoes” of academic learning not always associated with most Experiential Learning models. During your first few attempts at crafting challenges based on state or district standards, try isolating one standard and ask yourself three questions while keeping this standard in mind. “What should my students know, understand and be able to do when they have mastered this standard?” “What types of learning activities could my students do to demonstrate this learning?” “How will I know they have mastered this standard and at what level is their mastery?” For example, let’s take a standard from the N.H. Frameworks in math. By the end of grade three,

New Hampshire students should be able to: “read, construct, interpret, and apply bar, line, and simple circle graph, tables, and charts.” When planning instruction to work toward this goal in my first grade classroom, I ask myself the three key questions above. 1. What should my students know, understand, and be able to do when they have mastered this standard?

year I craft more ambiguity into the challenge. For example, I might give the children more options for the form of their presentations. This is how I chose to design and present the following problem for my first and second grade students to solve. A good deal of “front loading” or initial teaching has taken place before this. Keep in mind that many variations are possible.

Data Demons Dear Class, To show what you have learned as we worked with graphs, tables, and charts, I have created the following challenge so you can “razzle dazzle” me.

I use the benchmark my district has set for grade one to answer this first question; “My students should be able to collect data, organize it into a table and chart, use that data to construct a bar graph and a line graph, and communicate their understanding of that information.”

As you can see by the bolded text, the quality criteria have been embedded into the challenge. It will be up to the class to formally identify these quality criteria. I have targeted critical thinking and organization for the Critical Skills (the “dos”) and quality work and community members for fundamental dispositions (the “be likes”).

In teams of 3 or 4 students per team you will become “Data Demons” and collect data from 8 classmates. Your team will select a mystery envelope containing 4 different topics, such as; How many people have cats as pets? What part of the class think pepperoni is the best kind of pizza?

2. What types of learning activities could my students do to demonstrate this learning?

3. How will I know students have mastered this standard and at what level is their mastery?

This is where the careful crafting of the challenge needs to take place. With the standard clearly in mind, I find that I am able to be focused and the crafting process is much simpler than it seemed before.

Here is where I create a rubric. I envision what an outstanding presentation would entail and list some of its quality criteria:

You are to collect data on these topics and display this information on a poster. Presentations need to show a bar and line graph, as well as a table and chart with your data. As a whole class you must come up with a plan to be sure each classmate has contributed data to at least one team’s poster. You will need to present and explain your work to the rest of the class.You will have one week to prepare your work for display and presentation.

Having answered the first question, I know that I need to construct a problem or situation that requires them to gather data, assemble the data and share it with others. At the beginning of the year, I am careful to structure the challenge so that students can concentrate on the problem and on meeting the quality criteria. Toward the end of the

n n n n n

n

all standards were met visual was accurate visual was attractively constructed communication of information was clear evidence was present that each student was an active participant in group work, product, and presentation nothing more needed to be added

These descriptors represent my top end quality criteria.

37

Good Luck and have FUN!

A product showing a basic or satisfactory mastery would also be envisioned and might look like this: n

all standards were met

n

visual was mostly accurate with minor errors present

n

visual was neat

n

organization and presentation of data did not clearly communicate accurate knowledge

n

evidence of individual student work present during process and product

Last to be considered would be a presentation where the desired level of mastery is not present. Descriptors for this level might look like this: n

some of the standards were met

n

visual contained inaccurate information, data was incomplete and/or inaccurately presented

n

visual was messy

n

unable to find evidence of individual student’s accurate understanding

n

unable to find evidence of participation in group process and product

Once I have the rubric in place, it is shared with the students and posted for all to see. We refer to it throughout the work time and it is a map for everyone to follow.

Discussion: Working through the Data Demons Challenge

n

Let’s look at how you might coach your students through the “Data Demons” challenge. Once you have introduced, read, and answered any immediate questions (I try to limit it to 3 questions at this time), ask students to give you a simple clarifying statement as to what they will be doing. I always hope they will come up with “collect data from their classmates and display it on a poster.” This is referred to in the Critical Skills Level One Coaching Kit as “chunking.” n

n

To get them hooked and into the process right away, have each team select a member to pick an envelope with their mystery topics inside. Let them break out and meet in their teams for a few minutes to identify and talk about their topics. Instruct them to be prepared to come back to the large group with some suggestions on how to collect the data and how to be sure that everyone in the class has contributed data to at least one team’s poster when they get back together in about two minutes. Back in the large group they can share their topics to build excitement and interest. Then ask for ideas as to how to ensure everyone will get a chance to be interviewed. They should be able to come up with a plan, even if it is as simple as assigning kids to be interviewed by specific groups. (they have met one criteria).

38

Go back to the challenge and reread it with them. Pull it apart by chunks and highlight important information. You may need to do this a few times to ferret everything out. The highlighting should look something like this:

Collect data from 8 of your classmates Collect 4 different types of data Collect and display data on a poster Have a bar and line graph, a table, and a chart showing data Explain the the data Have a plan for each classmate to contribute You have one week to prepare!

This chunking process lets students define all the tasks before setting their product criteria. Once they have found all the pieces you can use some or all of them for quality criteria to be used in the assessment portion. n

Once a plan is made, send them off to collect their data. Keep switching and mixing small group work with large group work to keep everyone actively involved. You can call the large group back together to set quality criteria for the product after they have their data collected in their small groups.

n

In the beginning, give them a time frame to work within. This is a very important tool that must be taught. Little kiddos need a time line or benchmarks to assist them in staying focused on their task and on target. They need check-ins as well. For example:

n

Day 1: By the end of math time tomorrow you will need to show me all your raw data. Day 2: Have either your charts and tables sketched out or your graphs done in “sloppy copy” form. n

Day 3: Have the other half of your work done and be ready for inspection by me. Day 4: Work on your poster. Day 5: Rehearse your presentation within your group or with another group.

Let them have an extra day to finish up if absolutely necessary. As hard as I try, it is almost impossible to have everyone done by the end of the time frame each and every time. It looks good on paper, but we work in the real world and everything always seems to take longer, so be flexible if necessary. However, if we keep pushing back deadlines we can easily fall behind in the number of standards we need to target during the year. Be flexible with deadlines, be cautious with your time schedule, and be thoughtful about your expectations. As you deal with the question, “How will I know they have mastered this learning standard and to what degree has it been mastered or not mastered?” you will find that many understood what was to be done, but their presentations didn’t show their full understanding. Be certain that the presentation is only one piece of the assessment. You will see that for some students much learning took place during the process that also needs to be noted and recorded. Some children will understand every part while others in the group catch a ride on another’s coat tails. There needs to be a place for this to show up as well. The least time consuming way I have found to do this is by observing and then note-taking on a sticky note or large label placed in a student’s work portfolio.

39

Thoughts on Assessment and Feedback Each of you will have your own struggles with assessment of a challenge. One suggestion is that you do a group product assessment with the agreed upon quality criteria. Then you should complete an individual assessment for each team member based on observed participation and observable knowledge demonstrations during the process. In addition, you can add individual assessment work in the form of a test or worksheet when all work is completed. Don’t forget to debrief with the students. “What were we asked to do? Did we do it? What went well? What might you do differently next time? What surprised you? Did you make any changes along the way and why? How will knowing about graphs, tables and charts help you in the future?” These are just a few samples of debriefing questions. Remember, you don’t have to save them all for the end. Debrief as you go whenever you have an “aha” or an “oops.” This makes the most of those learning moments on a daily basis.

Holiday Calendar Challenge: Discussion

Holiday Calendar Challenge Dear Class, After this challenge you can each have a calendar for next year showing the various phases of the moon each day for all twelve months. This Math and Science Challenge will make a great holiday gift for you to give to someone special. What you come up with will be a great “twofer”! We will end up with two things in one package — a guide to the phases of the moon and a gift calendar! We have learned about the phases of the moon. As you know, the Earth’s satellite, our moon, orbits the earth. As it does this we are able to see more or less of the moon depending upon where it is in its path around the Earth. I will provide each group with 12 calendar pages for next year and 12 complete sets of the phases of the moon. Unfortunately when I cut the calendar apart for you the names of the months came off and we can’t tell which month is which . . . sorry. Since you will have to find out which month is which in order to re-label them and put them back in order this little rhyme might help. Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the others have thirty-one, except February. She’s the baby with only 28 days unless it is a Leap Year. When we have a complete and accurate calendar for each group we can make copies for ourselves to give to someone special. We are in a big time crunch. Everything has to be completed, bound and wrapped before we go on holiday break...YIKES! GOOD LUCK! P.S. I want a calendar, too! KNOW:

Understand the concept of time as it relates to the of number of days in a month and the sequence of months. Understand the phases of the moon in relationship to a calendar month.

DO:

Problem solve and be organized.

BE LIKE: Collaborate and focus on Quality. STEPS: 1. Clarify challenge. 2. Chunk the parts. 3. Set standards. 4. Assign tasks.

5. Set time line. 6. Complete challenge. 7. Assess with a rubric.

40

Before I introduced this calendar challenge, (something that I did verbally, rather than in writing) I did some crafty crafting of my own to hook the class on the idea. I told them we would be making family gifts during the next few weeks. I shared with the class some of the best gifts my daughter had given me. We talked about meaningful gifts, useful gifts, gifts people needed, gifts that were put away after the holidays and so on. It didn’t take much to get them to come up with the idea of a gift that was looked at and used all year long. Naturally the idea of a calendar with their artwork came up. I told them we could look into it. The next day I brought in about five different calendars for them to use in their research. During our brainstorm session of quality features of these calendars, they noticed each calendar had a theme or main idea, whether it was cats, cars or New England scenes. They also noticed the calendars shared information about the picture for each month. Soon after, we brainstormed another list of things we knew lots about and could use for a main idea. It didn’t take long for our recent unit of study to come up. The Earth, Moon and Sun were topics we all knew about. We were proud of our scientific knowledge; we could share that on a

In Summary... Standards driven learning allows students to know up front what needs to happen when all is said and done. Students assist in setting quality criteria and help to ensure the learning standard will be met and the desired learning will happen. When students participate in setting goals and evaluating whether those goals have been met, they take ownership for working to see that it happens. The cause and effect results inherent in the process give students meaningful feedback to add to their bank of knowledge and prepare them for their next trip through the Experiential Learning Cycle. (More information on the Experiential Learning Cycle can be found in the Level One Coaching Kit.)

The Experiential Cycle NGFUL CONTEX ANI T ME

CO AC EXHIBIT problembased challenge

ENGAGE

And you should have seen our assembly line! Santa’s workshop would have been green with envy. We had shifts at the copiers, we had stacks all about the room and we tied up the school’s book binder for quite a while. When we were done we had a calendar for each student and quite a few extras for people around the school who had seen our frenzy and wanted one too.

H

Before long they were adding one another’s birthdays to the calendar and who was taking the class hamster home on which weekend! Holidays were noted, as were school vacations. The work became very meaningful. One little girl was chosen to design a cover. More came out of this challenge for my second and third graders than I had ever anticipated.

Finally the project was DONE and everyone was happy. All our difficulties were forgotten when we would pass through the Library, Office or the custodian’s room and see our calendars in use!

DEBRIEF

During the planning and organizing sessions it didn’t take long for my students to realize that if each group made their own calendar it would take too much time, time they didn’t have. They recognized they needed fewer things to do or more people to do them. Someone suggested creating a class calendar. That way each group was responsible for only two or three calendar pages as opposed to all twelve. Next they decided to form a research group in charge of the scientific information; the other groups would work on the calendar pages and the illustrations to go on the top of each calendar page.

Did everything go without a hitch? Well, . . . no! We found we had copied one page on the wrong side and a few calendars were missing a page here or there. We had a meeting to discuss quality work and what were we going to do about it. Some said, “I’m not going to do this all over, it was too much work.” I reminded them we didn’t have to do it all over again, but, we couldn’t give out the calendars in this state. Just before the revolt began, a group of about half the students agreed to help replace the upside down page and check through each calendar to replace missing pages. While they did this the others set about wrapping the good ones as they were ready.

FEEDBA CK

calendar . . . some even suggested selling them. I had them hooked and said I could probably help them find a way to get this all done. The next day I delivered the Holiday Calendar Challenge.

knowledge/understanding knowledge/understanding critical skills/dispositions

DES

41

IGN

Human Body Unit Below are a subset of the New Hampshire state framework standards. The human body is subject matter for our district’s first grade students. I used these standards to design a series of interconnected challenges for first and second grade students.

Curriculum Standards: n

Students will demonstrate their increasing understanding of models, their appropriate use and limitations, and how models can help them in understanding the natural world.

Students will be able to: n Identify ways in which models are the same and different from real objects. n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisms of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

Students will be able to: n Identify different features of humans. n Describe/identify major organ systems of the human body, state their major functions, and describe some of their interactions, e.g. the heart and lungs working together in respiration.

Essential Questions: How is our body model the same as our real body?

How is it different?

BODY SHAPES We are now going to explore “Our Wonderful Body Machines.” For this first challenge you will need to pair-up and trace your partner’s body and have your partner trace yours. You will need to decide how much paper to cut off of the roll so that there is minimal waste. Once you have your paper, you and your partner will both need to create an accurate likeness of yourselves, complete with the clothes you are wearing today. This all needs to be finished within five days. KNOW: Create and identify a model of a real object. DO:

Problem solve and be organized.

BE LIKE: Focus on quality and be self-directed. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Chunk the problem and set criteria/standards. 3. Set time line. 4. Complete task. 5. Assessment rubric, self/peer and teacher. 6. Debrief.

42

Human Body Unit (continued)

Essential Question:

HEART & LUNGS

Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisms of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

Students will be able to: n Identify different features of humans. n Describe/identify major organ systems of the human body, state their major functions, and describe some of their interactions, e.g. the heart and lungs working together in respiration.

What is essential for keeping “Your Wonderful Body Machine” in top running condition?

In this challenge your team will make a poster for presentation to the class that clearly shows the heart, lungs, windpipe, and blood vessels. You will also present a report explaining how these are interrelated and what is essential for keeping “Your Wonderful Body Machine” in top running condition. KNOW:

The basic functions of the heart and lungs. Good habits for a healthy heart and lungs.

DO:

Think critically and communicate.

BE LIKE:

Own the learning and be community members.

STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Set quality criteria/standards. 3. Complete the task. 4. Present posters. 5. Assessment rubric. 6. Debrief.

43

Human Body Unit (continued) Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisms of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

Students will be able to: n Identify different features of humans. n Describe/identify major organ systems of the human body, state their major functions, and describe some of their interactions, e.g. the heart and lungs working together in respiration.

Essential Question:

Why do we have the five senses?

FIVE SENSES We have been exploring our five senses. We know what they can do for us and how we use them to find out information and to communicate. For this challenge your team will create a “Sensational Learning Station” where your classmates will explore items using their senses. The station needs to have those who visit identify items by using only one of their senses. Your team will bid on three of the five senses and be awarded one of them to create a “Sensational Learning Station.” Each station will focus only on one sense. Creativity and Imagination are encouraged. You will have two days to prepare for your “Sensational Learning Station” presentation. KNOW: The five senses and which body part relates to a particular sense. Understand that senses communicate and find information. DO:

Think creatively and be organized.

BE LIKE: Collaborate and be self-directed. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Chunk problem and set quality criteria/standards. 3. Work in groups. 4. Present stations. 5. Assessment rubric. 6. Debrief.

44

Human Body Unit (continued)

Essential Question:

What if our bodies did not have joints?

JOINTS & MOVEMENT Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate their increasing understanding of models, their appropriate use and limitations and how models can help them in understanding the natural world.

Students will be able to: n Identify ways in which models are the same and different from real objects.

Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisims of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

Students will be able to: n Identify different features of humans. n Describe/identify major organ systems of the human body, state their major functions, and describe some of their interactions, e.g. the heart and lungs working together in respiration.

Your body tracing model needs SURGERY! We have learned about ball and socket and hinge joints between our bones which allow us to move. Using brads as joints, your team will need to decide how many joints to place on “your bodies,” (you won’t be able to put joints on fingers or toes) and where you will place them. After you are certain how many you need, come to get that number of brads from the container. You will NEED TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR BRAD-JOINTS! Don’t lose them as there are not many extras. You will then need to cut your models at the correct locations and create joints. One team member will be chosen at random to explain another team member’s body, the placement of and kinds of joints represented while the other members are responsible for completing a team rubric. KNOW:

To know why we have joints, the difference between and locations of ball and socket joints as well as hinge joints.

DO:

Communicate and be a leader.

BE LIKE: Focus on quality and be community members. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Set quality criteria/standards. 3. Complete assignment. 4. Present “bodies.” 5. Assessment rubric. 6. Debrief.

45

Human Body Unit (continued)

Essential Question:

BULLETIN BOARD DISPLAY

Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate their increasing understanding of models, their appropriate use and limitations and how models can help them in understanding the natural world.

Students will be able to: n Identify ways in which models are the same and different from real objects.

Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisims of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

Students will be able to: n Identify different features of humans. n Describe/identify major organ systems of the human body, state their major functions, and describe some of their interactions, e.g. the heart and lungs working together in respiration.

What have we learned about our bodies?

You have worked hard and learned a great deal. Now you will get the chance to “show off” all you know to others. In this challenge the class will create a bulletin board display that represents your accumulated knowledge of “Your Wonderful Body Machine.” The bulletin board needs to have pictures and text. It needs to be interesting to look at and have accurate information. Each team will identify and choose a part of the body that has been studied. Then you will add your work to other groups’ work in order to complete our display. You might find the need to further research your topic in order to complete our display. Each team will also prepare a report to go with its illustration explaining the specific body part, how it is connected to another body part and why it is essential in “Your Wonderful Body Machine.” Upon completion of the bulletin board we will be inviting outside guests to come for a guided tour of “Your Wonderful Body Machine” and the bulletin board. You will be the tour guides! (As guests come in during a week long open tour season, individual students will be asked to explain, show, and interact with the entire bulletin board. This holds each student accountable for all the knowledge. KNOW:

The jobs and location of the heart, lungs, windpipe, bloodstream, senses, bones and joints and how they are interrelated.

DO:

Think critically and communicate.

BE LIKE: Owners of the learning and be community members. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Set quality criteria/standards. 3. Complete assignment. 4. Present bulletin board. 5. Assessment rubric. 6. Debrief.

46

Additional Challenge Examples KEEPING OUR HEADS IN THE CLOUD Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand that the Earth is a complex planet with five interacting systems, which consists of the solid Earth (lithosphere), air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), ice (cryosphere), and life (biosphere).

Students will be able to: n

Observe, describe and record weather conditions such as clouds, temperature, air pressure, and precipitation.

n

Identify events in nature that have repeating patterns or cycles, e.g. weather patterns, water cycle, rock cycle.

For this challenge we will create games to help everyone practice and learn more about clouds and our Earth’s water cycle. We will brainstorm a list of games you may use as models to get started. Your team may also pick another game you feel will work nicely. The cloud games must be based on a game that everyone is familiar with or could learn easily. In small groups and as a whole class we will need to come up with questions and answers to be used with the games. You will have two weeks, including today, to work on and complete your game. Be prepared to teach your classmates and students from the other classes, who are also studying clouds with us, how to play your game. Your game will be judged on how easy it is to learn, if students can learn about clouds by playing it, the quality of your questions, and how creative you were in developing your game. Have fun, get messy, make mistakes and LEARN something new! KNOW:

To be able to identify various types of clouds, predict weather conditions based on clouds and understand the water cycle.

DO:

Think critically and creatively.

BE LIKE: Own the learning and be focused on quality. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Set quality criteria/standards. 3. Complete assignment. 4. Present games. 5. Assessment rubric. 6. Debrief.

47

MONARCH LIFE CYCLE COOKIES Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisms of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants, and animals.

Students will be able to: n

n

Identify the major anatomical features of plants and animals, and the major function of each. Observe and describe major characteristics of various life forms, e.g. microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

We are going to make the refreshments for our Monarch Party. There will be MONARCH JUICE and COOKIES to shape and decorate. We will use these to represent each stage of the Monarch’s life cycle, our butterfly’s point of departure and destination, Mexico! Each team will get a recipe for their cookies and need to bring in ingredients for one batch. We have many things to do in order to be ready, Since the Monarch Celebration is on Thursday, we will need to look at our time line and stick to it so that we will be ready the day before the party. KNOW: Life cycle stages of the Monarch, and visual shape representations of Mexico and N.H. DO:

Communicate and be organized.

BE LIKE: Be self-directed and be community members. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify problem. 2. Chunk the problem. 3. Identify essential knowledge shapes and set quality criteria.

4. Group work. 5. Debrief. 6. Assessment rubric.

QUALITY CRITERIA

(as set by students for Monarch Cookies) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Each team needs to have all ingredients by Monday. Everyone on the team needs to sign up for an ingredient. Everyone should help mix the cookie dough on Tuesday. On Wednesday each team needs to make all its essential knowledge cookie shapes. Cookies need to be about the same size. Cookies should be realistically decorated.

( I provided them with food coloring, strips of black licorice for butterfly antennae and caterpillar legs, silver bead cookie decorations to represent the beads on the Monarch’s chrysalis and the egg on a milkweed leaf.)

48

Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisms of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants, and animals.

Students will be able to: n

n

n

As a team you will sign up for and research one kind of fresh water tropical fish that interests you. Your team will need to present your fish species to the class with a written report and poster. Your reports need to contain information regarding your fish as a live bearer or egg layer, any jobs it would perform in the aquarium, where the fish lives in the aquarium (top, middle or bottom dweller), and any other special characteristics of your fish.

Identify the major anatomical features of plants and animals, and the major function of each.

KNOW:

The needs of a specific fish and its relationship with other community tank dwellers.

DO:

Communicate and make decisions.

Observe and describe major characteristics of various life forms, e.g. microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals.

BE LIKE:

Own the learning and be self-directed.

Curriculum Standard: n

FISH RESEARCH

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand how environmental factors affect all living systems (i.e. individuals, community, biome, the biosphere) as well as species to species interactions.

STEPS: 1. Identify problem. 2. Chunk problem. 3. Set quality criteria/standards. 4. Group work time. 5. Present products, assess with rubrics, give feedback. 6. Debrief.

Describe and give examples of the various types of interactions that occur among organisms (e.g. predator–prey, symbiotic, producer– consumer–decomposer, host–parasite) to demonstrate how organisms compete or cooperate with each other to gain food, resources or space.

49

AQUARIUM CHALLENGE Curriculum Standard: n

Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand how environmental factors affect all living systems (i.e. individuals, community, biome, the biosphere) as well as species-to-species interactions.

Students will be able to: n

Identify and describe the basic requirements for sustaining life, e.g. plants and animals need food for energy and growth.

You have all researched tropical fish and have shared your findings. Now you will need to use what you have learned and shared in order to decide which fresh water tropical fish you should bring in for our classroom aquarium. You need to remember that fish are living creatures, just as you are. They have a right, just as you do, to be healthy and happy. Since we are taking them out of their natural habitat, it is our responsibility to provide for their basic needs as well as possible. As a class you will need to decide upon the numbers and kinds of fish that will thrive in our COMMUNITY tank. You will need to decide who will be responsible for bringing in the fish and how this will be done. The most important thing is to keep the best interest of the fish in mind. KNOW: The basic needs of all living creatures. How to meet the basic needs of fresh water tropical fish. How many and what kinds of fish would thrive in a 10 gal. aquarium. DO:

Think critically and make decisions.

BE LIKE: Collaborate and focus on quality. STEPS: 1. Identify and clarify the problem. 2. Set quality criteria/standards. 3. Complete assignment. 4. Rubric. 5. Debrief.

50

Curriculum Standard: n



Students will develop number sense and an understanding of our numerations system. PURPOSE: Students must understand numbers if they are to make sense of the ways numbers are used in their everyday world. Numbers are used to describe and interpret real-world phenomena. Students need to use numbers to quantify, to identify location, to identify a specific object in a collection, to name, to measure, and to model real-world situations. They need to understand magnitude in order to make sense of everyday situations.

Students will be able to: n

Recognize and demonstrate the difference in magnitude of whole numbers and fractions.

FRACTION POSTER Now that you are fraction masters, your team’s challenge is to design, create and present an “eye catching” poster showing the things you have learned about fractions. Your posters should be colorful and represent each team member’s quality work. They will be displayed on the bulletin board in the hall. Your poster needs to contain the definition (meaning) of a fraction and show examples. In order to help you with this challenge, I have created some sample posters. Use these to create a rubric for your own poster. Before you create your poster you need to make a list of the things you know about fractions. Use that list to create your poster. Be sure to give the Head Math Monster a small “sloppy copy” of your poster to get approval before you start. Last year’s class shared during the debriefing of this challenge that sometimes too much information was distracting. However, it is up to you to decide. KNOW:

Be able to understand and create fractions. Communicate the meaning of a fraction.

DO:

Communicate clearly and think creatively.

BE LIKE:

Collaborate and be self-directed.

STEPS: 1. Discuss challenge and identify the problem. 2. Set standards. 3. Complete time line. 4. Create rubric. 5. Present posters. 6. Debrief.

51

HECTOR THE FRACTION COLLECTOR Curriculum Standard: n



Students will develop number sense and an understanding of our numerations system. PURPOSE: Students must understand numbers if they are to make sense of the ways numbers are used in their everyday world. Numbers are used to describe and interpret real-world phenomena. Students need to use numbers to quantify, to identify location, to identify a specific object in a collection, to name, to measure, and to model real-world situations. They need to understand magnitude in order to make sense of everyday situations.

Students will be able to: n

Recognize and demonstrate the difference in magnitude of whole numbers and fractions.

Watching you work with fractions makes me believe that you understand fractions. To help me be sure you really do understand the idea of fractions I have put together this challenge. We have read “Hector The Collector” by Shel Silverstein. Now you will get to make a book about Hector. Can you guess what Hector collects? Yes, he collects fractions! In this challenge, Hector needs to be on each page showing the things he has collected. Your team gets to decide what he will collect, how to display his collection and how it will be divided, split, cut, chopped, sliced or broken into pieces or parts (remember fractions must be fair parts of a whole or a group). Your book must be attractive, neat, accurate and show a variety of fractions. Each page must have text and matching illustrations that show your written fractions (1/2, 1/3, 3/4 or whatever you choose). Each team’s pages must be unique. That means you will have to find a way to know what the other teams are going to put on their pages. Please check in with the Head Math Monster to get approval for your page ideas before you make your final draft. Each team must submit three pages to be put into the class book. This book can be used to help us to enjoy and share our knowledge with others and to help them understand fractions better. Once the book is completed, you may sign up to take it home and share with your family. If you do a quality job maybe Mrs. Kadlik might even put your book into the library for others to sign out! Good Luck. KNOW:

What is a fraction, how to write one and what the numerals represent.

DO:

Communicate and make decisions.

BE LIKE: Collaborate and own the learning. STEPS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Identify and clarify the problem. Chunk the problem into parts. Create a plan to meet all of the parts of the challenge. Set quality criteria/standards. Assessment rubric. Debrief.

52

Conclusion The key to successfully using the Critical Skills model in the Primary (K-3) classroom is to blend the goals and methods of Critical Skills with what we already know about how young children learn best. This is the focus–the common string that runs through the advice of all three teachers who contributed to this kit. And why use the principles and methods of Critical Skills? n

To guide the thoughtful design of learning experiences for students.

n

To help students develop the knowledge, understanding, skills, dispositions, and attitudes that will serve them for a lifetime.

n

To lead students to take ownership of and responsibility for a life-long love affair with learning.

n

To make your teaching experiences more meaningful, enjoyable, and rewarding.

n

To help parents, families, and other community members understand the richness and complexity of learning in the primary grades.

n

To connect the learning done in the classroom with the world outside school.

53