Webquest on Multi-Grade Planning

A WebQuest for Workshop Teachers

Designed by

S. Cunningham                  M. Taylor
scunningham@srsd119.ca      mtaylor@srsd119.ca

Introduction | Task | Process |  Conclusion


Introduction

For many years teachers have struggled with planning in multi-grade classrooms.  As Saskatchewan curriculum moves toward reporting on student outcomes it is essential that teachers align classroom practices with expected outcomes.

·                  How do you plan for two grades at one time?

·                  What factors need to be considered when planning lessons? 

·                  Which factors are the most important?

During the next 90 minutes you will grapple with these questions and more.

 

 

 

The Task

To develop great multi-grade units, you need to develop a thorough understanding of the different possibilities open to you as you create backwards by design units. One way for you to get there is to critically analyze a number of exemplars and discuss them from multiple perspectives. That's your task in this exercise.

By the end of this activity, you and your group will answer these questions:

  1. Which two of the example Websites listed below are the best ones               based on your role? Why?
  2. Which two are the worst? Why?
  3. What do best and worst mean to you?


The Process

1. First, each participant will have a hard copy of the graphic organizer. To answer the questions given above, you'll break into groups of four. Within the group, each of you will take on one of the following roles:

 

Grade 4 Curriculum Specialist

You have a keen understanding of the grade 4 curriculum and it outcomes. Higher level thinking is everything to you.  There is too much emphasis on factual recall in schools today. You are looking for sites that have a user friendly interface.  The content must be grade appropriate and current. 

Grade 5 Curriculum Specialist

You have a keen understanding of the grade 5 curriculum and it outcomes. Higher level thinking is everything to you.  There is too much emphasis on factual recall in schools today. You are looking for sites that have a user friendly interface.  The content must be grade appropriate and current. 

 

Instructional Strategist

You see the value in using various instructional strategies to meet the academic needs of your students.  You look for sites that maximize student learning through a variety of activities and projects.  You see the value in unit plans that outline possible adaptations for students.

Assessment Specialist

You strongly believe in assessment for learning. Therefore students should be presented with outcomes and evaluation tools at the beginning of the unit.  These tools must be authentic, assessing the outcomes.  Assessment as learning needs to include checklists, to keep students aiming at the target.

2.  Individually, you'll examine each of the sites below and use the graphic organizer to jot down some notes of your opinions of each from the perspective of your role. You'll need to examine each site fairly quickly. Don't spend more than 7 minutes on any one site.

Here are the sites you'll be analyzing:

Plant Growth and Changes

Environment and Adaptations

The Great Plant Escape

Nature-The Seedy Side of Plants

 

Discovery Education

Username: smonette

Password: thebeaner

Ed Helper

3.  When everyone in the group has seen all the sites, it's time to get together to answer the questions. One way to proceed would be to go around and poll each team member for the best two and worst two from their perspective. Pay attention to each of the other perspectives, even if at first you think you might disagree with them.

4.  There will probably not be unanimous agreement, so the next step is to talk together to hammer out a compromise consensus about your team's nominations for best and worst. Pool your perspectives and see if you can agree on what's best for planning multi-grade units. DO NOT JUST TALLY UP THE VOTES AND DECLARE A WINNER. Instead, begin to put aside your individual perspective and come to an agreement that takes into account all four perspectives.

5. One person in each group should record the group's thoughts.

6.  When debriefing time is called, report your results to the whole class. Do you think the other groups will agree with your conclusions?

Conclusion

Ideally, this exercise will provide you with a larger pool of ideas to work with as you develop your multi-grade unit plans. The best multi-grade unit is yet to be written. It might be yours!

Based on a template from The WebQuest Page