Where to Start on Creating a Year 9 Unit Plan? - 10th December 2014
Different units = start different places. This one was interesting as I had to work with another teacher who was due to be sharing a class with me. Third day of the school holidays saw us furiously texting each other and trying to work out a way of managing this 'shared' aspect which can sometimes prove challenging. I thought it would be useful to record my thinking as the unit and year plan came together between us.
My first steps were to agree with my colleague what our working methods would be. As a trial, we opted to design a term each with me taking terms 1 and 3 and her taking terms 2 and 4 and each of us taking a writing assessment. The final programme will look like this:
Term 1 - essay writing
Term 2 - close viewing
Term 3 - visual image
Term 3/4 - writing portfolio
Term 4 - opportunities for reassessment
We agree to keep students class books in a box (which would be transferable between rooms) and that students would have to learn to take responsibility for managing their own homework books.
Secondly, I wanted to get some baseline data on the students, so I wrote to the Intermediate to try and get hold of some samples of their work or some assessment data from their current teachers. I also enquired whether they had used The Hobbit in any teaching up until now, to ensure that students would have fresh material. As we are Matamata-based, I felt that this text was appropriately relevant and full of local context for the student group.
Thirdly, I outlined some early writing activities that would offer us some DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT information on the students' writing abilities and their ability to concentrate on tasks given in class:
My first steps were to agree with my colleague what our working methods would be. As a trial, we opted to design a term each with me taking terms 1 and 3 and her taking terms 2 and 4 and each of us taking a writing assessment. The final programme will look like this:
Term 1 - essay writing
Term 2 - close viewing
Term 3 - visual image
Term 3/4 - writing portfolio
Term 4 - opportunities for reassessment
We agree to keep students class books in a box (which would be transferable between rooms) and that students would have to learn to take responsibility for managing their own homework books.
Secondly, I wanted to get some baseline data on the students, so I wrote to the Intermediate to try and get hold of some samples of their work or some assessment data from their current teachers. I also enquired whether they had used The Hobbit in any teaching up until now, to ensure that students would have fresh material. As we are Matamata-based, I felt that this text was appropriately relevant and full of local context for the student group.
Thirdly, I outlined some early writing activities that would offer us some DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT information on the students' writing abilities and their ability to concentrate on tasks given in class:
Term 2 - loss of focus on shared Year 9 Unit Plan
Anna decided to do her own thing...so I got on with teaching The Hobbit, as I had planned. They were assessed at the end of Term 2, by me for Essay Writing and by Anna for Writing Portfolio. I will reassess again at the end of Term 3 with an essay based on a film (Simon Birch).
Good Practice
Fourthly, I outlined how we could meet GOOD PRACTICE objectives (as suggested in the ERO NATIONAL REPORT SUMMARY. So, to meet the following criteria, we will carry out these three areas:
In response to (1) we can:
- phone parents at the start of the year
- ask them to remind students on a Monday night that homework is due to be handed in on a Tuesday.
- ask that they attend parents' nights
- find out their preferred method of communication et. email or phone call and what day of week/time of day is suitable for them
In response to (2) we can:
Use as an early year activity...students writing a letter to their future self about their year. The letter will be read at the end of the year and students can see how well they engaged with school activities that were available to them.
In response to (3) we can:
* use the PB4L teaching programme
* write to the Intermediate School to find out some data on the students
* undertake formative assessments
* use learning trackers in the front of students' books to help them engage with their learning goals.
- involving parents
- involving students
- using data to identify students' needs
In response to (1) we can:
- phone parents at the start of the year
- ask them to remind students on a Monday night that homework is due to be handed in on a Tuesday.
- ask that they attend parents' nights
- find out their preferred method of communication et. email or phone call and what day of week/time of day is suitable for them
In response to (2) we can:
Use as an early year activity...students writing a letter to their future self about their year. The letter will be read at the end of the year and students can see how well they engaged with school activities that were available to them.
In response to (3) we can:
* use the PB4L teaching programme
* write to the Intermediate School to find out some data on the students
* undertake formative assessments
* use learning trackers in the front of students' books to help them engage with their learning goals.