June, 2010

Greetings Gang! Lane here…

I want to thank you for your participation in the laneclark foundation workshop, ‘Where Thinking and Learning Meet’. It is my sincere hope that you found our time together relevant and worthwhile. I certainly enjoyed working with you and hope that this workshop session represents the beginning of a powerful long term learning relationship for all of us.

This note will contain some ideas for your development, as will a rubric that I attach along with it. If you do not find that either meet you where you are at, then contact me and we will negotiate a change until you feel you have been catered for. This is no different than it is for the kids. And like it or not…you are my kids!!! And I want for you, everything you want for yours.

Some possibilities…

#1 Take one process that you explored over the past couple of days and use it with your kids. There is no need to ensure it is connected to everything else. Use it in isolation and tell the kids straight out that you wanted to try this with them in the hope that it supports their learning and eventually leads them to independent learning.

For example, use the sciencethink process and conduct an experiment with the kids. Do this once per week for one month and see if the kids can get to the point where they can own the process and use it within a group by the fourth week. I have included the digital version of sciencethink that you saw in the book that accompanied that particular centre. Hopefully this will support your effort

If you choose to use authorthink, ensure you have baseline data before you begin the process. It will be in comparing their baseline sample to the published piece, following their use of the model, that the magic will be evident. This process can be used for a text type but it can also be used for pictures they make, a report connected to other curriculum areas, an analysis in maths. Generally, I do not have kids use the process if they are not publishing for an audience as I want them to contextualise their communications. If you are communicating for an outside audience, then you must use the publisher’s process; if you are communicating to yourself (ie. a dairy, a personal story, etc.) then you do not have to go through all of the stages of the process.)

Having said all this, I just want you to have a go so if you need to make an exception on this rule until you are comfortable with the process, please do. Remember to model the process with the class before you ask them to have a go on their own. They colour in the stage after it is completed, and they use the criteria at the end to check each stage one last time and set goals. *****If you choose to try the thinkitgreat process, you will need to create a thinkchart. I have sent along a powerpoint presentation entitled: about thinkcharts. Hopefully it will support you in your design of a thinkchart organiser. Should you decide to try your hand at creating this tool, it would be great if you could send it along to me for feedback. Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know, so let me support your developing knowledge and understanding.

Look to find examples of thinkcharts on my website: www.laneclark.ca

If you log onto the site you will find, on the home page, an invitation to ‘get connected’. You will need to click on ‘learn more’ to find out how to register. Be sure to tick the box that asks you to join our mailing list as this is a pre-requisite for access. There is a process to logging that requires a little patience –

• Enter your personal information, including a password that you create yourself. • This information (except the password) is automatically sent on to Ed who will then ‘activate’ your account once he has determined that you are a past participant of one of the workshops. This process of activation can take up to 48 hours depending on our schedule and where we are in the world. • You will then receive email notification that you have been ‘activated’. • Now go back to the website and log in using your username and the password that you created. We do not know your password so if you forget it, we will need to delete your first attempt and move through the registration and activation process again.

Should you decide to develop a thinkchart you will need to ‘unpack’ the characteristics of the communication vehicle or product. I have provided you with the unpacking of a variety of examples: the characteristics of instructional text; the characteristics of recounts; the characteristics of key event; the characteristics of celebrations; the characteristics of poetry.

Consider these ‘all inclusive’ lists that you can pull from to create a developmental continua of thinkcharts for the thinkitgreat process with the learners in your school, particularly in regard to text types. Imagine having ready to go on the server a developmental continuum of thinkcharts for narrative, instructional text, persuasive, recounts, reports, etc.

If you would like to develop this, in grade, stage or level teams, you could determine the elements that you feel are developmentally appropriate for each level of learners. In due course, you will also create the thinkcharts and criteria for investigating instructional text (as an example); and the planners and corresponding criteria for producing instructional text. I will walk you through the entire journey step by step. In time, it is my hope that we can replicate this process with all text types. It would be terrific if you had all of these tools on your server for use on demand. Initially, I would suggest that each team determine a base list of elements that you feel are appropriate for your level of learners. Once your team has completed this, I would like all teams to meet together to share these elements. This should result in some substantive conversation regarding the developmental continua, and depth and breadth of elements. Hopefully you will shift and change and modify until you are happy with your efforts. I would then like you to send the continua to me for feedback. Once I’ve had a look, I will send it back to you and invite each team to create the corresponding thinkchart for each level. I will send you or direct you to models, so that you are not doing this ‘cold’ and I will walk you through this step when the time comes.

Let me know if this makes sense. Feel free to email should you require clarification or further information.

Here are some unpacking examples…

What are the Characteristics of Instructions - Procedural Texts

Purpose The purpose is to tell the reader how to do or make something. The information is presented in a logical sequence of events which is broken up into small sequenced steps. These texts are usually written in the present tense. The most common example of a procedural text is a recipe. Types of Procedural Texts There are different procedural texts for different purposes:- Texts that explain how something works or how to use instruction /operation manuals eg how to use the video, the computer, the tape recorder, the photocopier, the fax. Texts that instruct how to do a particular activity eg recipes, rules for games, science experiments, road safety rules. Texts that deal with human behaviour eg how to live happily, how to succeed. Features Structure Goal - clearly stated (often in the heading) Materials - listed in order of use Method - the steps are chronological and are numbered or listed Format Each type of procedural text has a format. Recipes usually have the information presented in at least two basic groups: ingredients and method. Games instructions usually include instructions on how to play, rules of the game, method of scoring, and the number of players. Scientifc experiments usually include the purpose of the experiment, equipment, procedure, observations and conclusion. Language The text usually: - focuses on generalised people rather than individuals (_first you take, rather than _first I take) - the reader is often referred to in a general way, ie. pronouns (you or one) - action verbs (imperative verbs), (cut, fold, twist, hold etc) - simple present tense (you cut, you fold, you mix) - linking words to do with time (first, when, then) are used to connect the text - detailed information on how (carefully, with the scissors); where (from the top); when (after it has set) - detailed factual description (shape, size, colour, amount)

What are the Characteristics of a Recount? STRUCTURE •Purpose (inform, entertain, educate, persuade) •Audience: age, gender, other •Title •Introduction: opening sentence, content (who, what, where, when, why), closing sentence, number of sentences, number of paragraphs •Body: opening sentence, content (events in order) feelings, thinking, closing sentence, number of sentences, number of paragraphs •Conclusion: opening sentence, content (summary), feelings, message, opinion, closing sentence, number of sentences, number of paragraphs

LANGUAGE FEATURES •tense •connectives •nouns •verbs •pronouns •adjectives •adverbs •sentence type: simple, compound, complex •vocabulary: formal, informal, technical, emotive •voice

What are the characteristics of a celebration? Purpose Participants: age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background; family, local, national, international Day Date Symbols Objects Colours Food Clothing Ritual/s Formal time: what happens; length Informal time: what happens; length

What are the characteristics of a key event? Defintion of a key event? Causes of key events: deliberate, accidental People involved: age, gender, ethnicity, local, national, international, individual, small group, large group

Effects Postive, negative Immediate, short term, long term Reversible, irreversible

Multiple effects on:

People Individual Small group Large group Age Gender Ethnicity Indigenous Non – indigenous

Environment Plants Animals People Air Land Water

Lifestyle home clothing work play food technologies architecture government group structures

Culture lifestyle language celebrations values beliefs sport arts •visual •drama •dance •music •literature •poetry •photography

Economics industry supply and demand interest rates foreign / domestic investment imports / exports

Politics gov’t structure laws constitution foreign / domestic affairs policy geopolitical boundaries

OK – I know this is a HUGE example of unpacking but I wanted to you see how much rigor could actually be associated with kids learning about key events.

Below you will find the unpacking for poetry.

What are the characteristics of poetry? General: Purpose Audience Mood Message Tone Voice

Structure: # of stanzas #of lines /stanza # of total lines rhyme scheme

Figurative Language/Poetic Elements Alliteration Metaphor Personification Onomatopoeia Repetition Allusion Rhyme Assonance Rhythm Simile Other

Please send me your unpacking if you would like to try a thinkchart so that I can support you before you actually frame it up.

#2 My book ‘Where Thinking and Learning Meet’ will offer an opportunity to revisit the areas addressed during our foundation session together. You will find that I have organised the chapters with an ‘action’ at the end of each chapter. Think about working your way through each chapter as a level team and then completing the action. This will reinforce bits and pieces from our session together and enable you to take the time to reflect on what must have seemed a bit of a whirl wind when we were together.

The CD on the back cover of the book ‘walks’ you through a complete think!nQ inquiry in a step by step manner. It will also provide a wide range of tools that you can use in your own learning opportunities for kids. For example, you will find reading and writing criteria; processes for publishing and investigating; you will also find story planners; and a variety of thinkcharts; etc. You can use the example as a guide to create your own inquiry or simply find tools to incorporate into your current teaching and learning approach. Should you wish to purchase the book, contact Ed and he will sort out the details. While my book, ‘Where Assessment Meets Thinking and Learning’, focuses on the assessment piece in this puzzle, it also offers many, many thinkcharts on the CD along with accompanying planners. You will see what I meant in regard to how you build in the justification into the planner so the thinking is promoted and evidenced.

#3 In addition to the tools you will find in the book, once you have logged on to my website, you will be able to access all kinds of tools beyond thinkcharts. You will find some examples of immersion centres, criteria, planners.

#4 Finally, you will find hundreds of files on the material I have dragged onto your school representative’s desktop. Feel free to use anything that might work for you. If you choose to modify any of the work, please maintain my name on the files but do indicate that they have been modified by yourself.

I hope that this menu offers you enough to get started. Get in touch and let me know if you’d like to take me up on any of these suggestions or share some of your own with me. Should you take me up on any of these ideas and send along your work for feedback, I will send further bits and pieces in a month or 6 weeks time.

Remember, you do not attend professional development sessions, you attend professional knowing about sessions…you choose to be developed professionally once you leave the session! It’s up to you now but remember, I am there to support should you ask.

Warm Regards, Lane