Inquiry through Te Whare Rama

Term 1 2017 Thinking:  What am  I going to do?

Introduction:  

48 percent of my class are below expectation in writing.  Of these, 2 are well below the expectation.  This is nearly half the class that do not meet the expectation for their year level according to National Standards. 

Well Below:  1 boy and 1 girl (both ELL - the girl has no English as of Week 8 Term 1)

Below: 8 boys and 2 girls

Of the students who were assessed as meeting the expectation 2016, there is one student who I would assess as needing further support. 

The two students who were assessed as above the expectation, I would now assess as on track to achieve. 

Inquiry  - Key Considerations

Motivation and engagement
Classroom environment
Developing ideas
Feedback and feed forward
Deliberate acts of teaching

Inquiry - Initial idea after the Introduction Day

Continue the Imaginary Land theme developed in Week 8 Term 1.  These independent presentations were based around the Key Competencies. All students have now created a country 

1. Make a town / city from your world - nets - 3 D shapes - these are mostly socially based groups of 2 to 4 students. 
2. Make an artefact from your country.  (one each) 
3..Create your world on a large refrigerator box that is free standing and will stay in the classroom .  Students can use this as a dispaly area for anything to do with their country.  (Will need 10 boxes - Harvey Norman?) 
4. These countries will be the basis for wrtiing e.g the legend of your country, biography of a famous person from your country, will share with the others who are in your country and then with others in your writers group. 
5. Establish writers groups. Management of writers groups and listening to writing. How to give feedback.  These groups are mixed ability and not socially grouped.
6. Hot spot - pull groups down need based on their goals. 
7. Million Dollar words written on the large window by the wet area. 
8. Planning will be a direction of learning rather than pre planned. (see direction of learning sheet for each week)

Toitoi book - could I do this each term? Each child chooses their piece of writing they would most like to share. Illustrate their own or have another illustrator illustrate for them. Make it available as an Ebook as well as published.

Links to Presentations