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Building Building Better InstructionBetter Instruction

Pondering PenguinsPondering Penguins& Other Themes& Other Themes

Susan BowdoinSusan BowdoinMSET 365 MSET 365 2/11/20062/11/2006



Listen to teachers as they plan their Listen to teachers as they plan their instruction and you’ll often hear them instruction and you’ll often hear them talk about “doing” topics…talk about “doing” topics…

• ““doing” apples in Septemberdoing” apples in September• ““doing” pumpkins in Octoberdoing” pumpkins in October• ““doing” the 50 statesdoing” the 50 states• ““doing” fractions or multiplicationdoing” fractions or multiplication• ““doing” Shakespearedoing” Shakespeare• ““doing” the Revolutionary Wardoing” the Revolutionary War



But… what does “doing” But… what does “doing” these topics mean?these topics mean?

• Completing worksheets Completing worksheets • Filling in coloring & dot-to-dot pages Filling in coloring & dot-to-dot pages • Decorating bulletin boards with student-Decorating bulletin boards with student-

generated thematic materialgenerated thematic material• Eating thematic snacksEating thematic snacks• Singing thematic songsSinging thematic songs• Reading chapters in a textbookReading chapters in a textbook• Giving a fact-based oral presentationGiving a fact-based oral presentation• Writing a paper on the collected factsWriting a paper on the collected facts



But what about Bloom’s?But what about Bloom’s?• WorksheetsWorksheets• Coloring pagesColoring pages• Bulletin boardsBulletin boards• SnacksSnacks• SongsSongs• Fact sheetsFact sheets• Reading, writing Reading, writing

about, and about, and presenting factspresenting facts

Some of these Some of these activities are activities are funfun, others , others are are necessarynecessary, but they , but they focus primarily on focus primarily on lower levels of Bloom’s lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. taxonomy.

Why not use these topics or themesWhy not use these topics or themes

to push students to think at higher levels?to push students to think at higher levels?



A real storyA real story

A group of Kindergarten teachers A group of Kindergarten teachers were excitedly preparing for their were excitedly preparing for their January theme. January theme.

They were “doing” penguins. They were “doing” penguins.



The teachers had been The teachers had been encouraged by the school encouraged by the school

principal to use technology with principal to use technology with their students, so they went to their students, so they went to

their computer lab assistant and their computer lab assistant and asked her to find web sites with asked her to find web sites with

printable penguin coloring sheets printable penguin coloring sheets for their students.for their students.



After hearing this request, the After hearing this request, the computer lab assistant thought,computer lab assistant thought,

“ “There’s got to be a better use There’s got to be a better use of instructional time and of instructional time and computer equipment. computer equipment.

What can I do?”What can I do?”



She thought about the skills primary She thought about the skills primary students were expected to master. students were expected to master. Among these were:Among these were:– learning how to ask good questionslearning how to ask good questions

– learning to take turnslearning to take turns

– using complete sentences to using complete sentences to communicate with otherscommunicate with others

– comparing and contrasting two comparing and contrasting two similar thingssimilar things



She did some searching online and She did some searching online and discovered several zoos in the discovered several zoos in the United States had penguin keepers United States had penguin keepers with email addresses posted on their with email addresses posted on their web sites.web sites.

http://www.stlzoo.org/yourvisit/hourspricesdirections.htm



She contacted the penguin keepers She contacted the penguin keepers from three zoos to see if they would from three zoos to see if they would be willing to correspond with the be willing to correspond with the primary students.primary students.

The response from the keepers at The response from the keepers at the Chicago Zoo was even better the Chicago Zoo was even better than she’d hoped.than she’d hoped.



Not only were they willing to Not only were they willing to correspond with the students, they correspond with the students, they suggested setting up a suggested setting up a videovideo conferenceconference so the students could so the students could actually ask their questions while actually ask their questions while hearing and seeing the keeper’s hearing and seeing the keeper’s responses!responses!

http://www.biocomp.net/adbcam.jpg



The teachers and students The teachers and students worked for a week to prepare worked for a week to prepare for the video conference.for the video conference.

Teachers asked, Teachers asked,

““What do you already know What do you already know about penguins?”about penguins?”

Hey, that’s Hey, that’s asking for prior asking for prior

knowledge!knowledge!



Students made lists of what they Students made lists of what they already knew and what they wanted already knew and what they wanted to know.to know.

Then they helped to write questions Then they helped to write questions and practiced asking them in front of and practiced asking them in front of their peers.their peers.



On the day of the video conference, On the day of the video conference, all the primary classes gathered in all the primary classes gathered in the library. A projector was set up the library. A projector was set up so all the students could see the so all the students could see the video image of the penguin keepers video image of the penguin keepers in Chicago.in Chicago.

http://hepweb.rl.ac.uk/ppep/exhibits/Projector/projector_picture.gif



Students took turns standing in front Students took turns standing in front of the camera and asking their of the camera and asking their questions.questions.

The Chicago penguin keepers The Chicago penguin keepers responded immediately with responded immediately with answers and additional information answers and additional information which teachers recorded.which teachers recorded.



To connect the penguin investigation To connect the penguin investigation to something that would be more to something that would be more

meaningful to students in New meaningful to students in New Mexico, the teachers brought in a Mexico, the teachers brought in a

guest speaker on roadrunners. guest speaker on roadrunners. Students used the same process to Students used the same process to

prepare for the guest speaker.prepare for the guest speaker.

Southwest landscape image obtained 2/11/2006 11:31 PM from http://www.cibolaoutpost.com/images/moon-L.jpg



Students then used Venn diagrams to Students then used Venn diagrams to compare the birds.compare the birds.

The teachers asked questions like:The teachers asked questions like:

1.1. What similarities do you see between What similarities do you see between the birds? What differences do you the birds? What differences do you see?see?

2.2. Are the birds more alike or more Are the birds more alike or more different?different?

3.3. Which bird is best suited to where it Which bird is best suited to where it lives?lives?



Now you compare:Now you compare:

Lesson 1: Theme-based activities including Lesson 1: Theme-based activities including worksheets, coloring sheets, snacks, songs, worksheets, coloring sheets, snacks, songs, and learning factual information on and learning factual information on penguins.penguins.

Lesson 2: Inquiry-based investigation of Lesson 2: Inquiry-based investigation of penguins including fiction and non-fiction, penguins including fiction and non-fiction, discussion with subject matter experts, discussion with subject matter experts, analysis of information collected and analysis of information collected and comparison with a locally known bird.comparison with a locally known bird.



In which lesson are higher levels In which lesson are higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Bloom’s Taxonomy

addressed?addressed?

In which lesson are learners In which lesson are learners actively engaged in asking actively engaged in asking questions and discovering questions and discovering

answers?answers?



What role does technology What role does technology play in the two lessons?play in the two lessons?



Lesson 1Lesson 1

Falls short because:Falls short because:

• the focus is on lower level thinking the focus is on lower level thinking skillsskills

• there are no stated goals or objectives there are no stated goals or objectives or connection to Standards. Why do or connection to Standards. Why do students need to know about penguins?students need to know about penguins?

• a weak use of technologya weak use of technology



Lesson 2Lesson 2

• does a better job of focusing students on does a better job of focusing students on higher level thinking skills. higher level thinking skills.

• has a much stronger use of technology to has a much stronger use of technology to support the learning process.support the learning process.

Still falls short because:Still falls short because:• there are no stated goals or objectives there are no stated goals or objectives

(though primary outcomes were considered (though primary outcomes were considered in the lesson design.)in the lesson design.)



is standards-driven is standards-driven

+ +

is focused by stated objectives and is focused by stated objectives and outcomes for what students will outcomes for what students will

learn learn

+ +

contains a concrete plan for how contains a concrete plan for how student learning will be assessedstudent learning will be assessed

A well-constructed lessonA well-constructed lesson



Objectives include:Objectives include:

A = AudienceA = Audience Who is your learner?Who is your learner?

B = BehaviorB = BehaviorUse an action verb. Don’t Use an action verb. Don’t use “learn”, “know” or use “learn”, “know” or “understand.”“understand.”

C = ConditionsC = Conditions What will students need to What will students need to accomplish the behavior?accomplish the behavior?

D = DegreeD = Degree What level of mastery is What level of mastery is expected? expected? (often is assumed)(often is assumed)



Sample ObjectivesSample Objectives

• Create Create a Venn Diagram to compare and a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast penguins and roadrunners.contrast penguins and roadrunners.

• describedescribe two similarities and two two similarities and two differencesdifferences between penguins and between penguins and roadrunners.roadrunners.

• determinedetermine which bird is best suited for which bird is best suited for survival in its environment.survival in its environment.

AudienceAudience BehaviorBehavior ConditionsConditions DegreeDegree

After participating in a video conference and After participating in a video conference and a local presentationa local presentation, , studentsstudents will be able to: will be able to:



Your turn!Your turn!

Create an objective for one of the Create an objective for one of the following:following:– adding double-digit numbersadding double-digit numbers– learning the geographic regions of the learning the geographic regions of the

United StatesUnited States– conjugating French verbsconjugating French verbs– writing complete sentenceswriting complete sentences– explaining the scientific processexplaining the scientific process

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