Melanie Kennison [2095719] Tiered Lesson Plan Page 1

Tiered Lesson (Differentiated by Readiness)

Name & Student Number: Melanie Kennison [2095719]

Lesson Topic: Curious Creatures

Curriculum Area: Science

Year Level: 1

Brief description

School Description: Hawthorndene Primary School is a category 7 semi rural government school located in the southern region near Blackwood. The school opened in 1965 and currently has approximately 300 students. At the present time there are more Junior Primary classes in the school than Middle Primary classes.

Class Description: My class is a straight year 1 class with an experienced Junior Primary Teacher. There are 20 students in the class, 12 boys and 8 girls. The students in the classroom are diverse. There are 5 students who have a low understanding and knowledge about this topic (Below their year level) and 4 students who have a great understanding and knowledge of the topic (Above their year level). The remaining 11 students have a basic knowledge and understanding of the topic (At their year level). The science lessons occur as double lessons on a Wednesday afternoon. This is due to the students taking longer to start and complete a task.

Lesson Description: The lesson will be based around the Primary Connections: School Yard Safari. The lesson focus is around teaching students about animals (mainly insects) that they can find around the school yard. The purpose of this lesson is to engage students into the topic of ‘Curious Creatures’ and to assist students in finding out information and developing their knowledge and a sense of understanding about the topic. This lesson will be the first teaching lesson after the Pre-Assessment.

Learning Objectives*. As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will learn:

- Living things have a variety of external features (ACSSU017)

- Living things live in different places where their needs are met (ACSSU211)

Understand that (Concepts, principles, “big ideas”. Make sure your objectives are statements that work in the form, students will understand that…) - Living things have a variety of external features - Living things live in different places - Living things have basic needs (food, water, shelter, etc)

Know

- Small animals live in different places - Small animals have different features - Small animals behave in different ways - Differences between small animals and humans - Similarities between small animals and humans

Be able to (do) - Explain their existing ideas about the features and behaviour of small animals - Use their senses to observe and identify small animals in their habitat - Explain the purpose and features of a map (i.e. key)

Essential Questions - How are the animals in the school yard the same as us? - How are the animals in the school yard different from us? - Why do animals live in different places?

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Lesson Title: In my School Yard

Pre-assessment of Students’ Readiness (Appendix 1: What animals can be found around the school; Science Journal)

Discuss and predict what animals might be found in the school yard.

Have students write in their science journal what animals they think they will find and where they might find them. (1.1)

Select a few predominant animals from students list (i.e. ants, worms, fly, spider, etc) and have students’ role play the behaviour of that animal. Ask questions about their movements and behaviour as they go along. Example: Worm, Why are you wriggling along the ground?

Guiding Questions - How does the animal move? - How does the animal see? - How does the animal eat? - What does the animal eat? - What kind of place does the animal live in?

Grouping From the answers and responses from the Pre-Assessment students will be divided into three groups:

The Butterfly Group (Group A): From the pre assessment the students place into the butterfly group had little to no knowledge about the types of animals that you may find in the school yard.

The Frog Group (Group B): From The Pre-Assessment the students placed in the frog group understood the types of animals that could be found in the school yard however struggled understanding the behaviours of the animals they listed.

The Ants Group (Group C): From the pre- Assessment the students placed in the ant group understood both the animals that could be found in the school yard and the features and behaviours the animals may possess.

Lesson Plan

Resources: Introduction:

Caring for Animals Poster (2.1)

School Safari Map (2.2)

Team Skills Poster (5.1)

Roles List (5.2) Tiered Activity

Butterfly Worksheet (3.1)

Frog Worksheet (3.2)

Ant Worksheet (3.3) Closure/Understanding

Poster example (4.1)

3-2-1 Exit Card (4.2)

Equipment: Pencil

Hula Hoop

Gloves

Role Badges (5.3)

Science Journals

Clipboards (for worksheets)

Lesson Sequence

Introduction: (Appendix 2) Whole class introduction with students sitting on the floor.

Review what small animals they may find in the school yard

Introduce ‘Caring for Animals’ Poster and have a discussion about its purpose

Explanatory notes

Introduction The Introduction is given to the students as a whole class sitting on the floor. This is to ensure that all students can participate in a review the prior knowledge from the previous session and for the teacher to provide instructions about the task they will be undertaking during this lesson. This also gives the teacher a chance to set expectations

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(Appendix 2.1)

Introduce School Safari Map. Discuss how to use the map and its properties (key, etc) (Appendix 2.2)

Discuss the terms: o Feature o Behaviour o Habitat

Discuss the use of hoops o Students will use hoops like

magnifying glasses. They will only be allowed to view the area inside the hoop at any one given time.

Discuss the roles in the group: (5.2,5.3) o Manager

- Collects the equipment needed for the group. Is in charge of moving rocks, leaves, etc when searching for animals.

o Reporter

- In charge of reporting back the findings of the group to the class

o Guide

- In charge of placing and moving the hoop.

o Officer

- In charge of making sure the group stays on task and follows instructions.

Note: Groups of 3 will have 1 student with 2 jobs. Groups of 5 will have 2 students for in either reporter or officer.

Tiered Activity (Appendix 3) Students will work in 3 groups to Identify, and collect data and/or information on animals around the school yard.

Divide students into selected groups

Students decide the roles between one another

Students collect all equipment

Students will explore their school yard using the hula hoops

(5.1) of students while they are exploring around the school yard. Reviewing ‘What small animals they might find in the school yard’ This allows the students a chance to refresh their memory about what was discussed in the last lesson. It is also a reminder for the students who still might be unsure about the topic. Introducing the ‘Caring for Animals’ Poster As students will be exploring the school yard in groups it is important to give them a clear explanation about why it is important to care for the animals they will be looking at. Discuss the importance of wearing gloves, watching where they walk, be cautious of what animals they touch, and to put the animals back where they were found. Introducing the ‘School Safari’ Map In alliance with science students would have been previously looking at how to read a map in geography. Ask students question on how to read the map and discuss how they need to mark each animal onto the key when searching for animals. Discuss terms Feature, Behaviour / Movement and Habitat Introduce these terms to the students. Ask them if they know what any of them mean. And re-define the meaning into language they can understand. Example: Habitat = The animals home or where the animal lives. Discuss use of hoops The purpose of using a hoop during this task is to focus student’s attention. By allowing them to only view the area in the hoop it contributes to helping the group stay together and to stay on task. As the school yard is also seen as big environment for a year 1 perspective it also limits them to where they can look and helps them focus on the task they have been given. Discuss roles of the group Giving students roles in a group supports the idea that everyone in the group has a responsibility and is contributing to the outcomes of the task.

Tiered Activity The students are placed into different groups based on their answers and responses to the pre assessment. Each group will have their own task that has been tiered to address the different levels of readiness in the classroom but will still obtain the objectives of the lesson. The reason for Tiering a lesson is to ensure that each child is working at their appropriate level of challenge (Tomlinson, 2001). Students learn better if tasks developed are matched to their skills and understanding of a topic (readiness), if the task is engaging and promotes curiosity and passion (interest) and if the task allows students to work in their preferred manner (learning profile) (Tomlinson, 2004).

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Every Student should have: o Gloves o Pencil o Worksheet (according to group) o Map of the school (2.2) o Clipboard

Each group will have a slightly different task but will be working together to bring their information together into create a collaborative classroom information poster in a following lesson (Appendix 4.1). The ‘Butterfly’ Group (See Appendix 3.1) Their task is to become their own schoolyard explorers and in their group walk around the school yard:

Identify the animals they find

Drawing the animals they find

List 3 features of the animal

Locate on the map where they found the animal.

The ‘Frog’ Group (See Appendix 3.2) Their task is to become a group of explorers that are looking into animal behaviours. They will walk around the school yard and:

Identify the animals they find

Write 3 features for each animal they find

Write 4-8 behaviours/ movements for each animal they find

Draw 2 pictures to reflect on their findings of the animals

Locate on their map where they found the animals.

The ‘Ant’ Group (See Appendix 3.3) The Ant’s Groups task is to become explorers who are looking into habitat. They will walk around the school yard and:

Identify the animals they find in the school yard

List 3 of the features and behaviours

List 6 features about the animal’s habitat

Identify all the areas this animal can be found in the school yard on the map.

Draw 1-3 pictures of different places each animal can be found.

Each of the tiered lessons are similar to one another and involve the students exploring their school yard, however all focus on an area of the topic that students are ready for. The students in Group A (The Butterfly Group) will look closely at the animals and its features, Group B (The Frog Group) will look into the behaviours and movements of animals and Group C (The Ant Group) will look into the habitats of animals. The Tasks During this lesson all students will have a hands-on experience through science. The purpose of this activity is to get students engaged with the topic while giving them the opportunity to develop to gain some knowledge on its content. The Butterfly Group Directed to those students who have a lower understanding on the topic. The emphasis for this group is to gain an understanding about the different animals that are found around the school yard. This is why their worksheet focuses more on the animals they find and how it look rather than going into further detail in other areas. This is purposely done so they can learn to identify the animal when they see the animal in another place. The Frog Group Directed to those students who have a basic understanding about the topic As this group already has an understanding of the animals and its features, The emphasis for this group is to gain an understanding about animal behaviours and movements and to think about why animals move in different ways. This is why their work sheet strongly looks at investigating, monitoring and recording the behaviours of the animals that they find. The Ants Group Directed to those students who have shown they have a substantial understanding about this topic

As this group has an understanding about animals and how they move these students will have their lesson emphasised around the animals habitats. This is why their work sheet is sorely based around identifying and describing the animal’s habitat.

Lesson Closure Assessment provides teachers with important information which can help them to answer vital questions. Thinking in the way of “did the students learn it”, “to what extent does the student understand” and “how might I adjust my teaching to be more effective of learners with varied needs” (Tomlinson, 2006). Ongoing assessment is the best way to get this information and to monitor the progression of students in the class. It is also useful for teachers to get feedback on their lessons and see what areas they still need to work on with children or may need to go over again.

Summarising Findings from tiered activity

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At the end of the lesson all groups will sit back on the floor and share their findings which will be noted on the SMART board by the teacher. (See Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding). In a following lesson students will turn these notes into a poster showing all their knowledge and understandings about animals (Appendix 4.2). By allowing each group to show their findings it will give all students the feeling that they have contributed to the completion of a task even though they have been focusing on different areas. After students share their findings the teacher will lead a group discussion based on their findings. The teacher will use questioning to gain feedback on students understanding after completing the task. It is important that in this part of the lesson you address any information that may have been misunderstood. Finally students will complete a 3-2-1 Exit card (Appendix 4.2) that will address what the students learnt, what that still don’t understand and what they would like to know. This is used as a form of Formative assessment. Review checklist (Appendix 5.4)

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding Conclusion (See Appendix 4) The whole class will come back to the floor and sit in their groups. Each group will take in turn to present their findings and the teacher takes notes of the findings on the board using the poster (4.1) format. After each group has shared their findings they will be able to show where they found the animals by a large electronic copy of the school map (2.2) on the SMART board.

The Butterfly Group – Will take in turns to discuss / share the animals they found while in the school yard.

o Discuss the animals they found (list in the ‘Animal’) section of poster o Discuss the ‘Features’ o Place spots on the larger map where they found the animals (key: colours for different

animals)

The Frog Group – Will take in turns to discuss / share the animals they found while in the school yard.

o Discuss animals they found (add extras in the ‘Animal’ section) o Discuss ‘Features’ and ‘Behaviours’ for each animal (‘Behaviour section) o Place spots on the larger map where they found each animal (key: using same colours)

The Ants Group – Will take in turns to discuss / share the animals they found while in the school yard.

o Discuss animals they found (add extras into ‘Animal’ Section) o Discuss additional features and/ or Behaviours for each animal o Discuss the habitat of the animals (‘Habitat’ Section) o Place dots in all areas they found the animals (key: using same colours)

Questioning

o Discuss their findings; make sure they can read their findings from the poster. Example; looking at the poster who can tell me: Q: What movement does a worm make? A: Wriggles Q: And where would we look if we wanted to find a worm? A: Near the Oval

o Discuss and make connections about the animal’s features and/ or behaviours and

relate it to where they can be found. Example: Q: Why would we find a worm near the oval and not on the basketball court? This will lead to discussion that worms live in dirt

3-2-1 Exit Cards (4.2) o 3 Things I have learnt today o 2 Things I still don’t understand o 1 Thing I would like to know

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Checklist of assignment components:

Complete, step-by-step lesson description, with notes explaining how the lesson represents an example of a tiered lesson to address various readiness levels

Supplementary materials (e.g., copies of directions, handouts, etc. provided to students)

Copy and/or description of pre assessment task used to assign individual students to appropriate “tiers”

Evaluation/ assessment criteria (e.g., rubric or checklist used to guide evaluation of student work)

References:

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). The ‘How To’s of planning lessons differentiated by readiness.

In How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classrooms (2nd ed., pp. 45-51).

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann 2004, 'The how to's of planning lessons differentiated by

readiness', in Tomlinson, Carol A, How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability

classrooms, 2nd edn, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,

Alexandria, Va, pp. 45-51.

Tomlinson, Carol A 2006, 'Considering evidence of learning in diverse classrooms', in

Tomlinson, Carol A & McTighe, Jay, Integrating differentiated instruction &

understanding by design: connecting content and kids, Hawker Brownlow Education,

Heatherton, Vic, pp. 59-82.

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Appendices

Pre Assessment Appendix 1 Pg.8 Pre Assessment Worksheet (1.1) Pg.9

Pre Assessment Worksheet Example (1.2) Pg.10

Introduction Appendix 2 Pg.11 Caring for Animals Poster (2.1) Pg.12

School Yard Safari Map (2.2) Pg.13

Tiered Lesson Activities Appendix 3 Pg.14 Group A: The ‘Butterfly’ Group Worksheet (3.1) Pg.15-16

Group B: The ‘Frog’ Group Worksheet (3.2) Pg.17-18

Group C: The ‘Ant’ Group Worksheet (3.3) Pg.19-20

Conclusion Appendix 4 Pg.21 Summary Poster Template (4.1) Pg.22

3-2-1 Exit Card Examples (4.2) Pg.23

Other Resources Appendix 5 Pg.24 Team Skills Poster (5.1) Pg.25

Team Roles List (5.2) Pg.26

Role Badges (5.3) Pg.27

Checklist (5.4) Pg.28

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Appendix

1

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What animals can be found

around the school?

Name: ____________________________ Date: _________________

Animal What I know about this animal

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What animals can be found

around the school?

Name: ____________________________ Date: _________________

Animal What I know about this animal

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Example response from ‘Butterfly’ Group.

It is an ant. Ants are small.

Example response from ‘Frog’ Group.

This is an ant. Ants are small. There are lots of ants at my home. Sometimes they go on my feet.

Example response from ‘Ant’ Group.

This is an Ant. Ants are small. They have 6 legs. They crawl around and carry food on their backs.

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Appendix

2

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Appendix

3

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Appendix

4

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(4.2)

3 Things I learnt today:

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

2 Things I still don’t understand:

_______________________________________________

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1 Thing I would like to know:

_______________________________________

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_____________________________

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Appendix

5

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Team Skills

Move into your groups

quickly and quietly

Stay with your group

Take turns

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Team Roles Manager

- Collects the equipment needed for the

group. Is in charge of moving rocks,

leaves, etc when searching for

animals.

Reporter - In charge of reporting back the

findings of the group to the class

Guide - In charge of placing and moving the

hoop.

Officer - In charge of making sure the group

stays on task and follows instructions.

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Badges:

Manager

Reporter

Guide

Officer

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Checklist:

Does the student understand the topic?

Can the students list the small animals found in the school

yard?

Does the student understand the meaning of the words:

“Feature”

“Behaviour”

“Habitat”

Can the student identify different animals based on the

features of small animals found in the school yard?

Can the student recognise the basic behaviours of an

animal?