Beyond Boundaries:A Celebration of Learning

Kerry Armstrong and Mary-Lynn Epps

What can we do when a Grade 7 child writes like this?

Universal Design for Learning - 3 Principles -

David Rose

• Multiple means of ENGAGEMENT… (FEEL) (affective - Bloom, Vygotsky)

• Multiple means of REPRESENTATION (THINK) (cognitive - Bloom) (reception - Vygotsky)

• Multiple means of EXPRESSION (DO) (psycho - Bloom) (application - Vygotsky) “Executive Function”

• **In the 21st Century, we must include Technology! (Rose)

What can UDL and Student Support in the classroom look

like?• What does a class look like that has been

designed for every student?• What are the parts to the UDL system?• What do the students think?• How well does it work?• How can teachers sustain the extra work?

(It is more work for students, not the teachers!!!)

A System for Children and Deep Learning

Mindmapping

Read and

record response

s

Info/Lit Circles - Small Group Discussions with the Teacher

Quick writes

Assessment For Learning

Info and Lit Circles

Assistive Technology

Parts to the System Inquiry Small group discussions

with the teacher through Literature and Information Circles

Explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies and strategic tools (Mindmapping, Graphic Organizers, Technology,and Quickwrites)

Assessment For Learning (CASE)

Students showcase through a celebration of learning

“Info and Lit Circles help me learn”

“In circles someone can help me with what I don’t understand and I can get new information and ideas to improve my learning”

“I can practice the skills of reading for information”: Research from Leyton Schnellert 2008

•Using text features•Accessing background knowledge•Summarizing•Finding Examples •Applying the Information

“Info and Lit Circles help you learn because you can clarify, discuss and connect to yours and other peoples thinking”

Circles of Deep Learning Where All Ideas Are Respected

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Students Prepare Graphic Organizers

• Provide Graphic Organizers for students to record their responses eg: dual entry journals, 4 quadrants (Reading Like a Scientist, Faye Brownlie/Susan Close)

• Students use these notes to refer to at Circle discussions and to add to as they discuss the topic.

• “Graphic organizers help me organize my learning”

Four Quadrants

“Reading Like a Scientist”

Graphic Organizer

Quick Writes• After Lit Circles, students write their

responses to the literature and they use the Performance Standard Rubric to assess their work and that of their peers

Criteria • Linked to the Performance Standards

and IRP’s

• Descriptive Feedback (CASE)

• Peer and Self Assessment

Free tools in Word to help with writing

• Word talk (writer’s mumble)• Word web (word prediction etc)• Spelling and Grammar set to formal• Check readability scores• Autosummarize to modify non-

fiction text• Online Thesaurus and Dictionary

Text to Speech for Free• www.wordtalk.org.uk• Use as a ‘writer’s

mumble’ tool• Supports ESL students

relate sound to text• Helps with grammar

and spelling etc.

Readability Scores

• For student use to improve writing

• For teacher use to modify text

• For teacher and student use to choose appropriate readability levels

What can we do when a Grade 7 child writes like this?

wordtalk• My favorite place Jonathan p. Monday may 5 • My favorite place to be is the art ledge. The art ledge is a place we go for our

summer holiday. The art ledge is an old logging camp but it has not been used for five ten years. Nobody goes there but the bears and our family and friends. Last year we built a fort with old wood hopefully it is still there. There was a dock there so me and my brother Paul were think of building a raft to go out on and fish. My dad and his friends went up there on their spring fishing trip for a week. That is what we though turns out there was a foot of snow there. Instead they went to the place we use to camp. When they where they heard the art ledge was very unhealthy so we might not go there this year. We go for three weeks. It is only 12 hours there and back. We go fishing a lot and eat a lot of fish and prawns and crab. When I don't go fishing I fish off the dock but this year we have to build another one. We go swimming in a cold river it is not that cold once you get use to it and the water is good to it is cold and clean. Last year my mom's friends and I were building an atving trial down there because we are tired of walking down there. There is not much animals there but bears and 2 cougars there we have only seen the small one. When we are going from the art ledge to our house we stop at a place called Atlac Lake we sped about 2 to 3 days there last year Paul and I build and I built a small raft.

Thank you!!!Thank you!!!Thank you!!!Thank you!!!

Create An Inquiry Question Through

Collaborative Teamwork

“Inquiry in this class

helps you know what you are looking for so you don’t write down just random information”

Mindmapping the Inquiry Process

• Explicitly teach comprehension strategies.

• Create the criteria for mindmaps so students can summarize, connect, apply and infer (Schnellert)their understanding of all their research to answer the inquiry question.