Grand Valley State University

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Masters Theses

Graduate Research and Creative Practice

8-1998

Development of the Curriculum for Use in a

Primary Multi-Age Classroom Using a Curriculum
Map
Rae Anne Besser Hansberry
Grand Valley State University

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Besser Hansberry, Rae Anne, "Development of the Curriculum for Use in a Primary Multi-Age Classroom Using a Curriculum Map"
(1998). Masters Theses. Paper 379.

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DEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRICULUM FOR USE

IN A PRIMARY MULTIAGE CLASSROOM
USING A CURRICULUM MAP

by
Rae Anne B e sse r H ansberry

MASTERS PROJECT
S ubm itted to the
Faculty of the School of E ducation
A dvanced stu d ie s in E ducation
for the
D egree of M aster of E ducation

G rand Valley S tate University

A ugust, 1998

Table of Contents
A b stract......................................................................................................i
C hapter 1: P roject P ro p o sal...............................................................1
S tatem ent of the problem ......................................................... 1
Im portance of the problem .......................................................2
B ackground of the problem ..................................................... 4
S tatem ent of P u rp o se ................................................................ 6
Definition of T erm s..................................................................... 7
Lim itations.....................................................................................8
C hapter 2: Literature Review..............................................................9
Introduction...................................................................................9
Curriculum D evelopm ent.......................................................... 10
Multiage G ro u p in g s.................................................................... 14
History...................................................................................14
Philosophy of Multiage G rouping................................. 18
Benefits and D etractors of Multiage.............................22
Curriculum M apping...................................................................27
C onclusion....................................................................................30
C h apter 3:P roject D escription..............................................................32
Introduction...................................................................................32
Project M ethodology..................................................................34
R ecom m endations/P lans for D issem ination.......................38
Curriculum Map for Multiage C lass(Prim ary Unit)............40
R eferen ces................................................................................................ 48
A ppendices
A ppendix
A ppendix
A ppendix
A ppendix
A ppendix
A ppendix
A ppendix

A: S tate S ta n d a rd s and B enchm arks............... 52

B: Literature List for R eading.............................68
C: V ideos..................................................................71
D: R eading R ainbow ............................................. 74
E: P ro jects and A ctivities.....................................76
F: T echnology .........................................................79
G: C hart of the Curriculum Map......................... 82

Data S h eet................................................................................................ 83

A bstract

Curriculum m aps for m ultiage c la s s e s are difficult to organize.

This p a p er ex p lo res so m e of th e w ays th a t curricula h a s been
organized in th e pc.st and a m ethod developed by Heidi Hayes
J a c o b s . This m ethod differs from o th er m apping stra te g ie s
b e c a u se it sta rts with the sta te sta n d a rd s and benchm arks and fits
the curricula into this fram ew ork. This p a p er also explores the
c o n ce p t of m ultiage gro u p in g s to insure a b e tter u nderstanding of
the history of grouping stu d e n ts in education, th e philosophy
behind m ultiage, a s well a s so m e of the ben efits and d e tra cto rs of
th is co n cep t. The p ro c e ss for developing a curriculum map for a
m ultiage c la ss of six seven-and eight year old learn ers is d escrib ed
in th is project. It sta rts with the sta te sta n d a rd s and benchm arks
b a se d on the social stu d ie s and sc ie n c e curricula. L anguage a rts
and m ath co m p o n e n ts are a d d ed and finally th e sp ecial projects,
a s s e s s m e n ts and sp eak ers. The a p p e n d ic e s list literature, videos,
activities and p ro jects a s well a s technology id ea s and a chart of the
c la ssro o m curriculum map.

C hapter 1
Project P roposal

A curriculum b a se d on s ta te sta n d a rd s and benchm arks th at

in co rporates social stu d ies, sc ie n c e and m ath into an integrated
them atic unit can be difficult to organize in a m eaningful way. T each ers
often begin organizing units by curriculum and then try to fit the
sta n d a rd s an d b en ch m ark s w here they m ight fit b est. Curriculum
m apping is a m ethod of organizing the curriculum according to w hat is
actually tau g h t in the c lassro o m . It b eg in s by using sta n d a rd s and
ben chm arks to provide a fram ew ork for the yearly school calendar.
The prim ary p u rp o se of curriculum m apping is to have
a written record of w hat is being tau g h t in the classro o m .
While the le sso n plan d o c u m e n ts w hat a teach er intends
to teach, the curriculum m ap lo g s w hat is actually taught
(Clough, J a m e s & W itcher 1996, p. 79).
Social stu d ies, sc ie n c e and m ath c o n c e p ts are then placed into the
fram ework w here they can m o st easily be taught.

Importance of the Project

T here are several re a s o n s why m aking a curriculum m ap is

beneficial to the te a c h e rs, adm inistrators, p a re n ts and stu d e n ts.
First, te a c h e rs are alw ays accum ulating sta te , district and site-b a se d
g o a ls and o b jectives in volum es of m aterial th a t are often difficult and
cu m b erso m e to use. They need a form at to organize this m aterial in a
m eaningful m anner th a t is m ore a c c e ssib le .

This new form at m ust

also insure that all s ta n d a rd s and b en ch m ark s are included in a

com prehensive plan. O nce th is plan is in place, te a c h e rs will be able to
sto re m uch o f the p a p e r work th at ta k e s up p re c io u s shelf s p a c e in the
classro o m . It also g iv es the te a c h e r a road m ap of how to include
everything s o they are not panicking in May w ondering, How will I
teach all this m aterial? This often h a p p e n s b e c a u se te a c h e rs do not
have a tim e table for th em se lv e s and w ant to sp e n d too m uch tim e on a
favorite unit or two; then they find th em se lv e s running out o f tim e at
th e end of th e sch o o l year. With a m ultiage c la ss, it is critical to be
organized; thereby insuring th at two to th ree y e ars of curricula are
p re se n te d in a m anner th a t is u n d e rsta n d a b le to p aren ts and to
stu d e n ts.
S econd, a d m in istrato rs are com fortable with curriculum
m apping and e n co u rag e their teach in g staff to work on developing it in
o rd er to m ake it e a sie r to co n cep tu alize w hat they will be teaching.

This will also insure a uniformity within buildings and a c ro s s the

district in m eeting the sta te sta n d a rd s and benchm arks.
Such alignm ent d o e s not limit all of the other th in g s
th at te a c h e rs m ight teach . It d o e s require, however, th at
local d istric ts exam ine the leftovers of their curriculum
to decide if the o th er to p ic s are a s essen tial and a s
worthy of c la ssro o m instructional time (Kane County
ROE,1998,p.4).
Many d istric ts are allowing paid sum m er study time for g rade levels to
develop th e s e m ap s together. This provides an incentive to learn how
to c o n stru c t them a s well a s tim e to do the n e c e ssa ry work.
Third, p a re n ts like to know w hat is to be stu d ied during the year.
A curriculum m ap can give th is inform ation to them . More and m ore
p aren ts are c o n cern ed th at their children are getting all that they
need in o rd er to m eet the rising d e m a n d s of the b u sin e ss world.
P arents are aw are of the s ta n d a rd s and benchm arks that their children
are ex pected to m eet m ore th an ever oefore. P aren ts are also excellent
re so u rc e s th em se lv e s a s well a s thinking of additional re so u rc e s that
will en h an ce the program and p e rh a p s fit into o n e of the units ah ead of
time.
Finally, s tu d e n ts like to know w hat they will be studying during
the year. A chart in the room sh o w s the p ro g re ss during the year and
helps s tu d e n ts look forw ard to o th er units that will be com ing later in

th e year. In a m ultiage setting, the s tu d e n ts can s e e ahead to w hat

they will be studying the follow ing year.

BackafQund of-the-Problem

In the past, w hen te a c h e rs u se d traditional b a sa is for the reading

program and text b o o k s for c o n ten t a reas, com pleting the curriculum
w as not a s difficult. School d istric ts provided the te x ts that m et the
d istric t's o b jectives or th o s e they felt children should m eet. The
te a c h e r divided the text book into nine w eek se c tio n s and w as a ssu re d
th at the m aterials would be covered In the 180 plus d ay s required by
the sta te for the acad em ic year.
With the introduction of literatu re-b ased reading and them atic
teaching, few er and few er te a c h e rs w anted to u se dry text books.
P roblem s then a ro se b e c a u se te a c h e rs w ere not covering the m aterials
nor the skills e x p ected of them . Many w ere having difficulty m eeting
th e sta n d a rd s and ben ch m ark s s e t by th e sta te , d istrict and building. It
is a m uch larger task to c o n so lid a te all th is m aterial and m ake it
interesting for stu d e n ts, fun to teach, and yet m eet th e n e ce ssa ry
requirem ents.
R esearch h a s show n th at children learn b e st by doing and
having hands-on activities a s well a s being involved in and
re sp o n sib le for their own learning (B redenkam p, 1987). If we truly
believe in th ese developm entally a p p ro p riate p ractices; then, we a s

e d u c a to rs need to find a way to re organize the curriculum so we tea ch

to m eet th e physical, social, em otional a s well a s the cognitive n e e d s of
the young child.
The co n ce p t of developm ental a p p ro p ria te n e ss h as two
dim en sio n s; a g e a p p ro p ria te n e ss and individual a p p ro
p riaten ess. A developm entally ap propriate curriculum for young
children is planned to be ap propriate for the age sp an of the
children within the g roup and is im plem ented wi^ h attention
to the different n e ed s, in te rests, and developm ental levels
of th o se individual children (B redenkam p, 1987,pp.2,3).
Planning to tea ch children according to their n eed s is m ore work for
teach ers, but b etter for stu d e n ts.

However, m ost te a c h e rs find it is

m ore fun to tea ch th is way.

A nother a s p e c t of th is problem is adding the m ultiage facto r into
the equation. The prem ise of m ultiage is th at school is the only place
children are se p a ra te d according to age and that children leam from
each o th e r and from children of all a g es. Having the co n sisten cy of the
sam e te a ch e r for two o r m ore years, especially at the low er g rad e s, is a
stability fac to r that is beneficial for m any children. T eachers know
exactly w here the children are the se c o n d year and begin teaching at
the ap p ro p riate level. L ess tim e is sp e n t adjusting to c la ss rules and
routines b e c a u se half the c la s s already know s them and can m odel the
p ro ce d u res for the o th er s tu d e n ts . T h ese are all very positive fac to rs
a b o u t m ultiage. Having children for tw o years, m eans th at the te a c h e rs

need to have curriculum d ev elo p ed and in place for tw o years and

ro tate it on a two year cycle. Curriculum m apping is helpful for
te a c h e rs to project tw o y ears in ad v an c e and g a th e r m aterials that will
fit into the units th at they have started .

The p u rp o se of th is p ro ject is to develop and im plem ent a

learner-centered, them atic curriculum for a m ultiage c la s s of six, seven
and eight y ear o ld s at Ada Elem entary School in the F orest Hills School
District.

The tool th at will be u se d is a curriculum map. The new

so cial s tu d ie s and sc ie n c e curricula will be integrated into a functional

m ap th a t will m eet all the sta te s ta n d a rd s and benchm arks. This project
will develop the first g rad e curriculum w hich will be groundw ork for the
se c o n d g rad e curriculum to follow.
More specifically th is pro ject will:
1. Define the c h a ra c te ristic s of a curriculum m ap.
2. Define the c h a ra c te ristic s of the m ultiage approach.
3. Develop a curriculum m ap of th e first grade curriculum
for a m ultiage c la ss.

Definition of Terms

il Indicators th at sta n d a rd s are being met.

>: A tool developed by te a c h e rs to show w hat is actually

being tau g h t in the c la ssro o m m onth by m onth.
D evelopm entally ap p ro p riate p ra c tic e s: T eaching stra te g ie s that take
the n e e d s of the w hole child into acc o u n t w hen planning for learning to
take place. A childs a g e a p p ro p ria te n e ss and individual developm ent
are not alw ays the sam e.
M ultiage: A c la ssro o m grouping th at h a s m ore than one g rad e level and
w here the te a c h e r k e e p s the children for m ore than one year.
M ultigrade/com bined g ra d e : A c la ssro o m grouping with tw o o r m ore
grade levels each requiring their own curriculum .
N o ngrad ed: G rouping children w ithout g rad e level d e sig n atio n s and
with m ore than one y ear age sp an .
S ta n d ard : An e sta b lish e d m ea su re of quality.
T hem atic:

The organization of an activity or unit aro u n d one concept.

In education, all d iscip lin es w ould be integrated into th is c o n ce p t so the

learner h a s a m ore unified way of seein g how all learning is related.

Limitations

This curriculum m ap is d e sig n ed to m eet the sta n d a rd s and

b enchm arks of a specific s ta te and district. T hese may not apply to all
school d istricts.
This project is d e sig n e d to m eet th e n e e d s of a m ultiage c la ss of
six, sev en and eight year o ld s with an affluent, h o m o g en eo u s
population. The activities, p ro jec ts and le s s o n s may or may not be
valid for o th er populations.

C hapter 2
Literature Review

Curriculum developm ent h a s g o n e through m any cycles of reform

in the p a s t few d e c a d e s. Som e sp e c ia lists in th is area have developed
traditional curricula with s e p a ra te d iscip lin es tau g h t at different tim es
during th e day or year. O thers have developed curricula with the
d isciplines integrated u n d er on e broad them e or concept.
With the re su rg en c e of m ultiage, n o n g rad ed cla ssro o m s, and the
m ost recent brain research ; curriculum developm ent h as com e under
scrutiny for using/or not using developm entally appropriate practices
and teach in g th e way th at children leam b e s t (B redenkam p, 1987).
F ir s t, we will exam ine so m e c h a n g e s in curriculum developm ent and
identify so m e c o m p o n e n ts th at are n e c e ssa ry for stu d e n ts to leam .
Second, we will p re se n t m ultiage c la ssro o m s a s an altem ative to
straig h t g rad ed c la ssro o m s and the rationale behind this choice.
Finally, we will d is c u s s th e developm ent of a curriculum m ap for a
m ultiage c la ssro o m and th e particular c h allen g es this p re se n ts to the
teacher. Since w ays of organizing and delivering curriculum have been
changing over the p a st few years; p e rh a p s now there is a m ore useful
way for te a c h e rs to organize their year.

Curriculum D evelopm ent

Curriculum c o m e s from th e Latin derivation for a c o u rse to run".

That is what e d u c a to rs do w hen they s e t o u t to work on revising
curriculum ; or w hat te a c h e rs do w hen planning the way they will
deliver the curriculum for th e year.
Work on curriculum developm ent h a s often sta rte d in a sc en a rio
sim ilar to th is one d e sc rib e d by Heidi Hayes J a c o b s in c h ap ter five of
her book, Interdisciplinary C urriculum D esign and Im plem entation.
1989.
The school board h a s allo cated m oney for a team of te a c h e rs
to develop an interdisciplinary unit for im plem entation in the
fall. Four te a c h e rs are in s h o rts and sn e a k e rs sitting a ro u n d a
table in th e faculty room ready to write. But w here do they beg in ?
The te a c h e rs have no c le ar g u id elin es for interdisciplinary
curriculum from their s ta te d epartm ent, their sch o o l d istrict or
com m ercial pu b lish ers. Too often, the team sitting around the
table fee ls in secu re a b o u t writing th e unit, (p.53)
Fortunately, there are o th e r w ays to organize curriculum . T his
p a p e r will list so m e of th e m eth o d s th a t have been u se d b efo re a n d a lso
p re se n t a m odel th at h a s prom ise, b e c a u se it is te a c h e r driven and
b a se d on w hat g o e s on in the c la ssro o m .

Som e of th e m eth o d s to

organize curriculum th a t have b een u se d in the p a s t are th e fragm ented

10

model, the co n n ec te d m odel, w ebbing stra te g ie s, the integrated m odel

and th e inquiry b a se d discovery m ethod of learning.
The fragm ented m odel is a traditional m ethod to organize
curriculum along se p a ra te disciplines su c h a s language arts, scien ce,
or social stu d ies. Each discipline is tau g h t sep arately with
relationships betw een su b je c ts only implied (Fogerty, 1991).
The c o n n ec te d m odel looks at the in terco n n ectio n s with one
discipline. It c o n n e c ts each day, week, or term within th at stra n d with
the previous one. This m odel h elp s s tu d e n ts m ake linear relationships
within the discipline rath er than a ssu m in g th is learning will take place
(Fogerty, 1991).
W ebbing stra te g ie s have been u se d in many different form ats in
education. This m odel can be u se d to plan curriculum a s well by using
a th em e a s a core. T each ers m ake a w eb using the disciplines and the
activities th a t children will use. This w eb will help them to s e e the
relationships betw een and am ong the different su b je ct a re a s a s a
whole and how they relate to the them e (Fogerty, 1991).
An integrated a p p ro a ch req u ires th a t te a c h e rs begin by finding
overlapping p a tte rn s in all four m ajor curricular areas. From th e se
patterns, the te a c h e r c o n sid e rs a pervasive them e o r c o n ce p t around
which to build th is curriculum . T each ers form ulate q u e stio n s for w hich
children will need to find a n sw e rs in o rd er to u n d erstan d the broad
them e. T hese q u e stio n s will c ro s s disciplinary lines. Activities th a t will

11

en g age the children and help to a n sw er their q u e stio n s will be listed a s

well a s literature, field trip s and re so u rc e s n eed ed (Fogerty, 1991).
The inquiry b a se d m odel is b a sed on a child discovering
inform ation on his/her ow n rath e r than having the te a c h e r deliver
information. Science h a s traditionally been a te a c h e r lecture subject
with lab experim ents here and there. T each ers of sc ie n c e are realizing
that inquiry b a se d ed u catio n w here stu d e n ts fo cu s on q u e stio n s a s
How do we k now ? yield d e e p e r u nderstanding. T hese scien ce
tea ch e rs a lso are beginning to integrate all a re a s of sc ien c e with other
su b je c ts a s well. This h e lp s s tu d e n ts m ake m eaning out of their
learning experiences. S cience For All A m ericans Project 2061
envisions more broad c o n c e p ts and le s s m em orization of p ro ced u res
and vocabulary for s tu d e n ts to b etter u n d e rstan d the sc ie n c e c o n c e p ts
and be able to apply them to real life (Willis, 1995).
T hese are so m e of the m odels of curriculum th at have been used
and are still being u se d in d istric ts around the United S tates. The m ost
recent developm ents in curriculum have been influenced by the current
brain research. This inform ation helps u s u n d e rstan d how the brain
works. It also explains why so m e m eth o d s are m ore efficient than
o th ers to help children leam . R enate Caine and Geoffrey Caine (1990)
have p resen te d th e se principles th at can help u s to apply learning
theory to the classro o m .

12

1. Learning Is a physiological experience th at involves th e entire

organism ; th u s sc h o o ls m ust take into acc o u n t all fac ets of s tu d e n ts
health and well-being and acknow ledge differences in m aturation.
2. Search for m eaning is b a sic to the hum an brain. ...The brain
finds m eaning by creating p attern s; it re s is ts learning m ean in g less
p ieces of inform ation.
3. The brain h a s m em ory sy s te m s for p ro ce ssin g rote learning
and for in stan t recall or spatial m em ory. Isolated fac ts and skills take
longer to leam than th o se learned in m eaningful context.
4. The brain perform s m any functions sim ultaneously. T eachers
need to u se diverse m eth o d s and a p p ro a ch e s.
5. Each brain is unique. T each ers need to u se diverse stra te g ie s
to m eet sen so ry , em otional and physical n e ed s (S hoem aker,1991,pp.
793-4).
With this inform ation ab o u t th e brain, curriculum developm ent
n e ed s to look not only at s ta n d a rd s and disciplines; but a lso take into
c o nsideration how children leam .
The Key School in Indianapolis is finding so lu tio n s to curricular
problem s by incorporating brain rese a rc h into their curriculum
planning. They have b eco m e nationally recognized for their
collaborative interdisciplinary curriculum . There are central th em es
se lec te d by the staff each year. All d iscip lin es are integrated through
one them e. A lthough m aterials are available from publishers, the staff
u se s them less and le s s a s they b eco m e m ore self directed and
13

co n fident In their own p ro fe ssio n a ls ju d g m e n ts (B olanos, 1989), This

restru ctu rin g p ro c e ss u se d at Key School helps te a c h e rs mix and m atch
s u b je c ts in an attem pt to solve th e problem of to o m uch to teach and
not en o u g h time. They have u se d a holistic, integrai&d curriculum that
is m ore brain com patible than m ore fragm ented m odels. One fifth g rad e
stu d e n t from W illagillespie Elem entary School in Eugene, O regon that
u s e s a m odel sim ilar to th e Key School said: Its kind of nice to have
one main thing to leam about. That way, it s e e m s a lot e a sie r to
rem em ber all that w eve been tau g h t (Shoem aker, 1991, p. 793).

Multiage Gro uping

History

U. S. institutions of learning are trying every strateg y they can to

im prove th e im age of ed u catio n and perform ance of stu d e n ts in this
country and to gain the p u b lic 's confidence in the educational system .
T here is o n e m ethod th at is show ing in cre ased in terest by academ ia.
A ccording to Richard Owen in his doctoral d isse rtatio n at Michigan
S tate University a s cited in Miller, 1995, p. 4: The a g e-g rad ed stru ctu re
h a s en d u red for alm ost 140 y e ars w ithout being d e scrib e d a s an
im portant re a so n for so m e of th e cu rren t ills of th e U.S. education
sy ste m .

14

S ch o o ls did not begin a s a lock s te p g rad e d system . As we look

at m ultiage, non g rad ed ed ucation a s an altem ative, we will first look at
the history of the sy ste m of grouping stu d e n ts. S econd, we will p resen t
the m ultiage philosophy, and third, exam ine the stre n g th s and
w e a k n e ss e s of th is m ethod.
The history of grouping children b eg an form ally in the one room
sch o o l h o u se with all a g e s and g ra d e s to g e th e r with one teacher.
B efore this, p a re n ts tau g h t their own children at hom e with all a g e s
to g e th e r and ta u g h t all su b je c ts to each one.

The te a c h e r now taught

all su b je c ts to all stu d e n ts with a variety of abilities and at each

stu d e n ts own g rad e level. But now, the te a c h e r had m any m ore
stu d e n ts.

This w as a te a c h e rs logistical nightm are, but no o n e had

d ev eloped any o th er m ethod of grouping large n u m b ers of children.

The children learned from each other, helped e ach o th er and w orked
cooperatively. They e x p ected differences and realized that not
everyone w as at the sam e academ ic p lace at the sa m e time. Even today
we realize th at : The practice of grouping by a g e and g rade may be
creating a significant barrier to m eeting the g o a ls of equity and
instructional ex cellence in s c h o o ls (Miller, 1995, p.27).
During the mid 19th Century, the sch o o l grouping shifted from a
m ultiage c la s s of stu d e n ts to straig h t a g e level c la s s e s . This w as a
n e c e ssity b e c a u se of the num ber of s tu d e n ts and it seem e d like a
logical way to organize s tu d e n ts into m an ag eab le sized g ro u p s (W alser,
1998). H orace Mann introduced th is m ethod which w as bom of

15

adm inistrative practicality and puritanical tradition a s well a s n ecessity

for grouping. He first brought the sy ste m to M assac h u se tts from
P ru ssia in the mid 1900s (A nderson, 1993),
Along with th is lock s te p sy ste m cam e the isolation of fem ale
te a c h e rs from each o th er so they had no one to sh a re id ea s with nor
help solve problem s. Harsh punitive p rac tic es w ere also prevalent
during this time. Jo h n Deweys philosophy of educating the whole
child and o bservation of the m any different talen ts of children w ent
un heeded until late in the 1940s (A nderson, 1993).
After World W ar II, there w as a new in terest in education p rac tic es
and n o n g ra d e d n e ss b egan to em erge in the 1950s through the 1970s.
There w ere so m e g o o d pro g ram s developed by the Kettering
Foundation in W isconsin. However, m any of th e se experim ental and
no ng rad ed program s in the United S tates, along with the open
education pro g ram s failed b e c a u se e d u c a to rs lacked several key
co m p o n e n ts for s u c c e s s . First, they lacked un d erstan d in g of the
philosophy. Second, they did not have adm inistrative and com m unity
su p p o rt. Third, the planning and im plem entation of the program s w as
in ad eq u ate (G austad, 1992).
B ecau se of the failure of m o st of the nongraded school
program s, many sc h o o ls continued with the lock step , single grade
c la s s e s . T here w ere e d u c a to rs who realized the value of nongraded
c la s s e s and p u rsu e d resea rch and im plem entation stra te g ie s a s well a s
studying the c o m p o n e n ts n e c e ssa ry for s u c c e s s of th e se program s.

16

Som e of th e se far-sighted e d u c a to rs are Jo h n I. G oodland and Robert

H. A nderson who are co -au th o rs of The N ongraded Elem entary School.
Sue Bredenkam p, editor of the National A ssociation of Education of the
Young Childs position statem en t on developm entally appropriate
p ractices and Lillian Katz, d irector of ERIC C learinghouse on
Elem entary and Early C hildhood Education. Along with o th ers su ch as
Jo a n G austad, e d u c a to rs have realized th a t children entering the first
g rade can vary in m ental age with a sp a n of up to four years and th a t a s
children get older there is an even w ider sp re ad . Children achieve in
different su b je c t a re a s at different rate s (G austad, 1992). How can all
th e se children fit o n e grade! Do all 8-year-old Boy S co u ts fit into size
eight uniform s? Do all 8-year-olds leam at the sam e rate and develop
at the sam e tim e?
As resea rch becam e clear, a d v o c a te s of n o n g rad ed education
found interest in the sta te of Kentucky who m andated nongraded
elem entary ed u catio n in 1989 and in British Columbia. They realized
th at 5 to 8-year-old children leam concretely and are not ready for
a b stra c t c o n ce p ts. Young children leam from their personal
e x p erien ces and can relate their e x p erien ces to new c o n c e p ts much
m ore easily through m eaningful activities rather than unconnected
facts. Physical activity is im portant to th e s e prim ary-aged stu d e n ts and
they actually g e t m ore tired from prolonged p erio d s of sitting than by
prolonged physical activity (G austad, 1992).

17

T hese sc h o o ls m entioned have re se a rc h e d the nongraded,

m ultiage philosophy and c la ssro o m practices. They have a plan and
they have w orked at the im plem entation of the plan. O ther s ta te s are
m andating th is developm ental a p p ro ach to educational grouping. This
time e d u c a to rs are b e tter p rep ared to be su c c e ssfu l with m ultiage
cla ssro o m s. With know ledge provided by m ore refined resea rch
tech n iq u es and b u reau cratic su p p o rt for im plem entation of curriculum
change, the d e ca d e of 1990s may be th e tim e for the n o n g rad ed co n cep t
to flourish (Mackey, Jo h n s o n & W ood, 1995, p.49).

The philosophy behind the n o n g rad ed o r m ultiage a p p ro ach to

grouping children fo r learning is b a se d on the developm entally
ap p ropriate primary g rad e curricula in a c la ssro o m of m ore than one
g rade level (Davis, 1992). Children grow and develop at different rates.
Multiage c la s s e s provide s tu d e n ts with ability p eers, a s well a s with age
p eers. They work to g e th e r and play to g e th e r with children of various
a g e s in o th er se ttin g s. School Is the only place children are divided
sim ply by the date they w ere bom .
T here are no s e t guidelines for a nongraded, m ultiage approach.
The te a c h e r or te a c h e rs s e t up a sy ste m th a t w orks for their teaching
style. Som e com m on e lem en ts th at are found in th e s e ty p es of
c la ssro o m s are:

18

1. H eterogeneous g rouping of children a s to ability, gender,

academ ic a s well a s special n e ed s.
2. Developm entally a p p ro p riate m aterials and curriculum for th at
a g e level. There are m anipulatives a s well a s ex p erien c es for exploring,
discovery and problem solving for th e children

through sp o n ta n e o u s

and planned activities.

3. E m phasis on th e p ro c e s s of learning a s well a s the curriculum .
4. Flexible grouping fo r ability, in terest and developm ental
n e ed s. (Elliott, 1997)
5. C ooperative learning e x p erien c es a s o ld ers leam from
y o u n g ers and y o u n g ers leam from o ld ers by their m odeling.
6. Building s tu d e n ts self-esteem and their own s e n s e of
co m p eten ce. This e ffe cts all th eir learning.
7. Ability to sta y with the sa m e te a c h e r for two or m ore years.
A djustm ents are le ss stre ssfu l an d if a child w as to sp e n d an
additional year in this c la s s h e /sh e h a s p e e rs h e/sh e knows.
8. Integrated them atic instru ctio n and planned units to
co o rd in ate all of the childs learning into a m eaningful w hole (American
A ssociation of School A dm inistrators, 1992).
9. Children tak e m ore risk s b e c a u s e they feel com fortable in their
c la ssro o m s and with their p e e rs. All of the c h ild ren 's efforts are
a c c e p te d b e c a u se they ex p ec t diversity (Maeda, 1994).
A nongraded primary is not a rigid, sit-in-your-chair and do d itto s
a p p ro ach to learning; n o r is it the te a c h e r lecturing to stu d e n ts a s they

19

sit and listen, it is not "B lu eb ird s, "R o b in s, and Mud h e n s ability
g ro u p in g s for se p a ra te academ ic su b je c t a re as. In authentic n o n g rad ed
sc h o o ls on e would see:
1. Individual differences of s tu d e n ts are expected, acc ep ted and
resp ec ted .
2. Learning, which is th e childs work, is challenging and fun.
3. S tu d e n ts are view ed a s a whole.

D evelopm ent in cognitive,

physical, aesthetic, social and em otional a re a s are all im portant.

4. G rouping is flexible an d instruction is planned to m eet
individual n eed s.
5. Curricula is in tegrated with o u tc o m e s m ore im portant than Just
covering th e material.
6. S tan d ard s and b en ch m ark s are clearly defined.
7. Major c o n c e p ts are the fo c u s of instruction a s well a s skill
developm ent.
8. Evaluation of learning is co n tin u o u s.
9. S tudent a s s e s s m e n t is holistic, flexible, individualized and
te a c h e r m anaged.
10. T each ers are em pow ered to m an ag e curriculum to cre ate
learning o p p ortunities (A nderson & Pavan, 1993).
This philosophy of m ultiage g ro u p in g s of the 1990s differs from
th at of the 1950s-1970s open s p a c e c la ss ro o m s b e c a u se to d ay s
c la s s e s have walls and te a c h e rs are b e tte r p repared to teach to this
philosophy. Som e c la s s e s have d o o rs betw een room s or p erh a p s two

20

room s opening with a m oveable wall. T each ers are also b etter prepared
for this approach to ed ucating children by reading research , observing
c la ssro o m s and having training in them atic teaching, developm entally
ap p ropriate p ractices and brain research .
Many e d u c a to rs a sk what a g e s go to g e th e r m ost efficiently.
Most e d u c a to rs would ag ree th at first and se c o n d or first, se co n d and
third m ake good com binations. A nother possibility is first-second and
then third-fourth. Som e e d u c a to rs have incorporated kindergarten, but
many feel th at 5-year-olds are n o t ready to be gro u p ed with 6, 7 and
8-year-old learners (C ushm an, 1990).
R esearch varies in the reported effectiv en ess of m ultiage c la ss e s.
Most research h a s found either positive effects of m ultiage c la ssro o m s
or th at there w as no difference betw een the academ ic achievem ent
betw een m ultiage and g rad ed c la ssro o m s.

Two are cited here.

R esults indicate co n sisten tly positive achievem ent effects of

sim ple form s of nongrading generally developed early:
c ro ss-g ra d e grouping for one su b je c t (m edian ES=+.46) and
c ro ss-g ra d e grouping for m any su b je c ts (m edian ES=+.34).
Form s of nongrading m aking extensive u se of individualization
w ere le ss consisten tly su c c e ssfu l (m edian ES=+.02) (Gutierrez
& Slavin, 1992, p. 333).

ES m ean s effect size.

The individualized pro g ram s they w ere referring to are the IGE or
Individually G uided E ducation P rogram s which are a form of nongraded

21

education. T here is m uch m ore e m p h a sis on learning sta tio n s w here

children w orked independently of the te a c h e r (Gutierrez & Slavin, 1992).
In an o th er stu d y of cognitive and non-cognitive effects, It is
co ncluded th at th ere is no em pirical ev idence for the assum ption th at
stu d e n t learning may suffer in m ultigrade and m ultiage c la ss ro o m s
(Veenman, 1995, p. 319).

B enefits and D etractors to Multiage G roupings

The benefits of m ultiage c la s s e s se em to favor the stu d e n ts

while the d e tra c to rs relate m ostly to the e d u cato rs. S u p p o rters claim
th at Society is m ultiage, fam ilies are m ultiage, and we want
c la ssro o m s to reflect real life(W alser, 1998, p. 1). It also e m p h asizes
c o n tin u o u s p ro g re s s and project b a se d curricula (rather than p a s s fail
sy stem s) (W alser, 1998). T h ese g ro u p in g s fo cu s on individual
ex p ec ta tio n s rather than g rad e level ex p ec ta tio n s b e c a u se there are no
g rad e distin ctio n s. T here is m ore tim e to a d d re ss individual n e ed s
b e c a u se stu d e n ts stay with one te a c h e r tw o or m ore years. Children
have the ability to work w here they are functioning in academ ic a s well
a s social are n as. A childs s u c c e s s is b a se d on m astery of new skills
and not by co m p ariso n to his/her own a g e m ates. This philosophy of
learning is b a se d on th eo ries of Je a n Piaget, Je ro m e Bruner and o th ers
(C ushm an, 1990).

22

Nobody fails behind, th e se m e a su re s show ; although th o se

s tu d e n ts on developm ental and acad em ic extrem es benefit m ost,
boys, blacks , the slow and gifted, and children with low self
e ste e m

particularly effective for bright but im m ature children

w ho n eed both acad em ic stim ulation and a social environm ent

m ore su ited to a younger child (C ushm an, 1990, p. 39).
The longer s tu d e n ts stay in n o n g rad ed program s, the greater the
im provem ent in their achievem ent sc o re s. B etter atten d a n ce and few er
discipline problem s are a lso p lu s e s (Bozzone, 1995, p.65).
A nother benefit for m ultiage grouping is m ore ch o ic es for the
p aren ts w hen they are consid erin g the b e st learning environm ent for
their child (Calkins, 1992). P arent rapport and tru st in c re a se s a s
children sta y with the sa m e te a c h e r for m ore than year. An opt-in
program from kindergarten in su re s p a re n ts have input into their
preference for p lacem en t of their child (Wall, 1994). The final placem ent
is up to the kindergarten te a c h e r b a se d on w hat is b e st for the
individual child.
Multiage g ro u p in g s can provide older children oppo rtu n ities to be
leaders, especially if they ten d e d to be sh y a s youngers. They seem to
b lo sso m a s o ld e rs and are helpful, p atient and tolerant o f the
y o u ngers com ing into the cla ssro o m (Katz, 1992). T each ers create a
caring, learning com m unity,... w here learn ers have c h o ic es and
childrens uneven d evelopm ent is not view ed a s a deficit, but is
a ccep ted a s a norm al part of hum an grow th (Surbeck, 1992, p.3).

23

The d e tra c to rs to th e s e p ro g ram s are primarily related to the

ed u cato rs, but th ere are a few d e tra c to rs for children that e d u ca to rs
need to keep in mind. For a stu d e n t w ho n e e d s to be in a very
stru ctu red environm ent with few d istrac tio n s; th is may not be the b e st
placem ent for th at learner. T hat is why th ere sho u ld be options in each
building for p a re n ts and te a c h e rs to p lace children in the b e st learning
environm ent for the childs learning style.
A nother co n cern p a re n ts often raise is a b o u t the academ ically
gifted stu d e n ts and the c h alle n g es they need in o rd er to function at
their ability and not ju s t g e t along. If te a c h e rs of m ultiage c la s s e s are
truly seeing each child w here h e/sh e is, th is is not a problem b e c a u se
each child will be challenged individually. Often, especially with a team
of tea ch e rs, one is go o d with the gifted and the o th e r w orks b e tte r with
the em ergent learners. T eaching to the to p " also gives th e se children,
a s well a s all children, the c h a lle n g e s they need to stretch th eir
thinking.
Most of the d e tra c to rs relate to the te a c h e rs and the work load
th at this type of cla ssro o m involves.

First, there is groundw ork and

learning that h a s to be d o n e before attem pting to im plem ent a

no n g rad ed program if it is to function the way it is intended (Miller,
1996). When there is no adm inistrative su p p o rt o r lack of
u n d erstanding on the p art of o th e r tea c h e rs, problem s can ex ist am ong
staff and betw een g rade levels.

24

Multiage c la ssro o m s are not th e an sw er to b udget cru n ch es,

few er te a c h e rs or in creased c la s s size. It is not a dum ping ground for
imm ature, advanced or any one type of learner. The h etero g en eo u s
a sp e c t of the nong rad ed c la s s e s is an im portant com ponent for the
c la s s s su c c e ss .
This option is m ore su c c e ssfu l w hen it is tea ch e r driven and not
m andated by the sta te , district or individual sch o o l. Som e te a c h e rs are
not ready to tak e this risk and will not work to m ake it a s u c c e s s .
T eachers need a d e q u a te planning tim e, training in early childhood
education and experience with a variety of a g e s of children. T ea c h e rs
a ttitu d es are very im portant to s u c c e s s (Surbeck, 1992).
With the ex ten sio n of ag e ra n g e s and children staying with one
tea ch e r for two o r m ore years, c o m e s two or m ore years of curriculum
to plan. T here is a heavy burden on th e cla ssro o m teacher. They need
to know w hat to do, why the are doing it and w hen to do it (Elliott,
1997a, p. 46). There is the need for se p a ra te curricula for each year
which involves planning, fin an ces and tim e expenditures.
An a d d ed barrier to n o n g rad ed c la s s e s is the grade level
activities and stan d ard ized testin g th at is required by the district
(W alser, 1998, p. 2,3). Som e d istric ts handle th is by exem pting so m e
ty p es of testing, so m e by testin g only th o se o ld ers or y o ungers
th at m eet the typical g rad e level d e sig n atio n s. However, sw im m ing and
classro o m g u id an ce p ro g ram s su c h a s P roject Charlie have been
su ccessfu lly program m ed with m ultiage c la s s e s . They rotate on a two

25

year cycle and all children in the c la s s p articipate during the year the
curriculum for that g rad e level is p resen te d . Each school and d istrict
n e e d s to be flexible and work on an individual b a sis keeping in mind
th at a m ultiage c la ss is a c la s s : It is not two se p a ra te g ro u p s of
children in one room.
Multiage p ro g ram s require m ajor co n cep tu al c h a n g e s (Miller,
1996). T hese can be overw helm ing to e d u c a to rs trained in traditional,
direct instruction. While planning curricula, it is im portant that tea ch e rs
m ake su re that stu d e n ts are developing the skills th at are required to
m eet the sta n d a rd s and benchm arks. In C hapter 3 th is concern will be
a d d re ss e d a s curriculum is p re se n te d in a th orough curriculum map
(G austad, 1995).
S u c c e ss in the early g ra d e s d o e s not g u a ra n tee s u c c e s s
th ro u g h o u t the school y ears and beyond, but failure in the early g rad e s
d o e s virtually g u aran tee failure in later sc h o o lin g (Slavin, Karweit &
W asik, 1993, p. 11). R esearch in d icates th at nong rad ed g ro u p s
perform ed b etter (58 %) or a s well a s (33 %) of the g rad ed g ro u p s on
m ea su re s of academ ic ach iev em en t (Pavan, 1992, p.22).

With the

research show ing th at m ultiage is a s good or b e tter than graded

education, why not get m ore e d u c a to rs involved?

26

Curriculum Mapping

T eachers tea ch behind c lo s e d d o o rs. E ducators at each g rade

level an d within a g rad e level have m aterials and curriculum provided by
the district.
T here is sim ply no way to e n su re th a t all te a c h e rs will teach any
curriculum even o n e they have d eveloped.

However, they are

m ore likely to u se a sy ste m they have developed th at re p re se n ts

th eir beliefs a b o u t w hat sh o u ld be tau g h t. (G latthom , 1987, p .77)
Curriculum m ap s need to be useful and re p re se n t w hat is happening in
the c lassro o m . They im prove com m unication betw een te a c h e rs at the
g rade level, building level and a lso betw een buildings by sharing m aps
and ideas. C reating m ap s fo rce s te a c h e rs to u n d erstan d the sta te and
d istrict sta n d a rd s and b en ch m ark s an d h e lp s to organize m aterials,
tim e an d re so u rc e s. In addition, p a re n ts an d stu d e n ts have an overview
of learning fo r the year a t a glance.
To begin m apping, te a c h e rs m u st first d e scrib e three m ajor
elem ents of curriculum . S econd, they m u st cut and p a s te the s ta n d a rd s
and b en ch m ark s on large s h e e ts of paper. Third, te a c h e rs look a t the
social s tu d ie s and sc ie n c e curricula to s e e how they can be m eshed
to g e th e r to m eet the s ta n d a rd s and b enchm arks. Fourth, language a rts
and m ath are integrated into the m ap; and la st of all, the projects,
sp e a k e rs and field trip s are added.

27

First e d u c a to rs look at th e m ajor elem ents of the curriculum and

m ake su re that they u n d e rstan d th e s e elem ents: (a) the p ro c e s s e s and
skills em phasized (b) th e c o n te n t in term s of essen tial c o n c e p ts and
to p ics, or th e c o n te n t a s exam ined in e sse n tia l q u e stio n s, and (c) the
p ro d u c ts and p erfo rm an ces th at are th e a s s e s s m e n ts of learning
(Ja co b s, 1997a, p.8). S econd, te a c h e rs cu t and p a ste s ta n d a rd s and
benchm arks on chart p a p er th at is arran g ed by q u a rte rs of the school
year. Q uarters work well to g e t sta rte d and then th e m ap can be
refined, broken dow n by m onth, later. Third, e d u c a to rs look at the
social stu d ie s a n d sc ie n c e curricula to s e e how th e se c an m eet the
sta n d a rd s and b en ch m ark s to achieve the curriculum g o als. (Roub,
1992).
A fram ew ork re su lts after th e social stu d ie s and sc ie n c e are
blended; then th e language a rts co m p o n en t can be added. Som e
stra n d s of language a rts su c h a s spelling, listening, handw riting and
reading skills will n eed to be w orked on all year long. Som e skills, su ch
a s ABC order, will fit in b e s t at th e m iddle or end of the year. Som e
prior know ledge may be n e c e ssa ry for th e new skill to be m eaningful
and for th e stu d e n ts to be su c c e ssfu l. For instance, teach in g A, B, C
o rd er would not be a p p ro p riate in th e first q u arter of th e year for first
g rad e when m o st children are learning to read. It would fit b e tte r during
the third o r fourth q u a rte r w hen children have a reading vocabulary and
d ecoding skills.

28

Fourth, m ath c o n c e p ts or le s s o n s are p laced on the chart p a p er

with critical le s s o n s m arked for m astery. A sse ssm e n t tim elines can
also be a d d ed if desired. Finally, sp ecial projects, sp e a k e rs, field trips
and o th er re so u rc e s are a d d e d a s they fit into the m ap for each quarter.
T echnology will be a d d ed to g u a ra n tee it is integrated into the
curriculum and not Just a tag along time.
A curriculum m ap is a c o n tin u o u s, developing work. Revision is
to be ex p ected and en co u rag ed .

It gives the te a c h e r a guideline or

tim eline for incorporating all the n e c e ssa ry sta n d a rd s and benchm ark s
by using the curriculum of th e d istrict to do th at Job. W hen there is
enough curriculum to cover the sta n d a rd s and b enchm arks, m ost
te a c h e rs will find th at so m e o f th e favorite u n its will have to be
d iscard ed . There Just is not eno u g h tim e to teach all we w ant to teach.
We need to teach so children can a n sw e r the e sse n tia l q u e stio n s that
com e with the curriculum and will help children think a b o u t and be
resp o n sib le for their own learning. E ssential q u e stio n s are the guiding
principles th at the children should be able to d is c u s s and an sw er at the
end of the unit a s well a s sy n th esize the m aterial th a t they have learned
in all disciplines.
Curriculum m aps n o t only help th e individual teacher, but the
entire building staff, to d e te c t any h o les in the curriculum or if there
are to o many g ra d e s teach in g the sa m e thing. D istricts can u se th e se
m aps to tell w hat is happening betw een buildings. S pecials tea ch e rs
find curriculum m aps helpful in integrating their work with the te a c h e rs

29

them es.

M apping p ro m o tes a living curriculum b e c a u se it d eals with

real time. T ea ch e rs tell it like it is' " (Ja c o b s, 1997a, p. 62).

By putting m aps on the com puter, c h a n g e s can be m ade easily
and te a c h e rs can u se co m p u ters a s part of iheir planning rather th at an
add on to the curriculum . Right now, technology is still viewed a s an
event. T each ers are using it erratically, not b e c a u se they d o n t w ish to,
but b e c a u se its still an a p p e n d a g e to the program "(Jacobs, 1997b,
p.84). Using technology for curriculum m apping will help u s u se it a s a
tool, not as an a p p en d ag e.
C harts in the room will en ab le p a re n ts and stu d e n ts to s e e w here
they y ear is going. However, one w ord of caution: If m aps that are too
detailed are given to p a re n ts there could be the d an g er th at so m e would
u se them a s a check list to s e e if everything is actually being taught.
Since this is a living d o cu m en t and open to revision, only general
ch arts o r m ap s should be published for p a re n ts and p laced on th e wall
of the classro o m .

Coficlugjon

T here have been m any w ays to organize curriculum in the past.

Most m eth o d s sta rt with th e ideal curriculum or w hat e d u ca to rs think
should be taught. T each ers develop w ays to fit th ese c o n c e p ts into the
sta n d a rd s and ben ch m ark s of the sta te and district hoping that the
co n ten t will cover w hat n e e d s to be taught. Heidi Hays J a c o b s h a s

30

developed a n o th e r way of organizing a curriculum m ap that s ta rts with

the sta n d a rd s and benchm arks. Her plan fits the co n ten t to m eet th e se
n eed s. The content, then, is w hat is actually p rese n te d in the cla ssro o m
in stead of an ethereal idealized curriculum .
By starting with social s tu d ie s and sc ien c e c o n c e p ts, the tea c h e r
can s e e how a them e e m e rg e s a s th e m ap b e co m es a reality. Math,
literature and writing skills are integ rated into th is them atic unit and a
co m prehensive curriculum m ap in clu d es all the co n te n t n e c e ssa ry to
teach th e s ta te sta n d a rd s. E d u ca to rs have learned th at children learn
a s active, holistic learn ers a cco rd in g to the recen t brain resea rch .

By

integrating th e c o n te n t into a them atic unit and using h a n d s on,

developm entally ap p ro p riate activities; this research will help te a c h e rs
becom e g u id es to learning rath er th an givers of inform ation.
R esearch h a s also show n th a t children learn from eac h oth er and
from their p eers, w hether a g e p e e rs o r ability p eers. The m ultiage
co n cep t of grouping two or m ore g ra d e s to g e th e r and rotating two or
three y e ars of curriculum ; n e c e s s ita te s organization. The J a c o b s
m apping co n ce p t len d s itself to th is type of age-grouping curriculum
developm ent.

It allow s te a c h e rs to plan a two or three year cycle of

instruction b a sed on the sta n d a rd s and benchm arks, a s well a s the

curriculum for tw o years.

31

C hapter 3
P roject D escription

O rganizing curricula for any c la s s is a challenge. The e d u ca to r

n e e d s to m ake su re th a t all of the sta te s ta n d a rd s and benchm arks are
met; and all o f the Inform ation is available for children to be able to
an sw er and d is c u s s the e sse n tia l q u e stio n s for the unit. In the past,
many m eth o d s of organizing th is m aterial have been tried. Usually the
te a c h e r h a s had too m uch m aterial and to o little tim e to do an a d eq u a te
job of dissem inating inform ation.
This task is co m plicated w hen a m ultiage c la ssro o m is involved.
This type of cla ssro o m will have two or th ree g rad e levels working
to g eth er a s one unit. The te a c h e r m u st m ake su re th at all grad e level
b en ch m ark s in m ath and lan g u ag e a rts are covered even though he/sh e
te a c h e s only one g rad e level m aterial p er year. This m aterial is b e st
organized by the social stu d ie s and sc ie n c e curricula of the district.
Heidi Hayes J a c o b s ta k e s an o th er view of organizing th is m aterial
b a se d on th e sta te s ta n d a rd s and b enchm arks.

First, te a c h e rs m ake

su re they u n d e rstan d the m ajor elem en ts of the curriculum ,

Second,

they organize the s ta te s ta n d a rd s and b enchm arks. Third, th e social

stu d ie s and sc ien c e c o n c e p ts are ad d ed . Fourth , the language arts

32

and m ath co m p o n en ts are included. L ast of all the a s s e s s m e n ts ,

projects, sp e ak e rs, field trip s and o th er re s o u rc e s can be added. The
finished p roduct is a living d o cu m en t th a t can be ch an g ed or am ended
a s needed.
This m ethod in su re s th at th e m aterial th a t is actually ta u g h t in th e
c la ssro o m is m eeting the sta te s ta n d a rd s and benchm arks an d if there
are any units left and tim e rem aining in th e year, the tea ch e r c an ad d
them at his/her discretion.
This project o rg an izes the first g rad e curriculum for a m ultiage
c la ss of six, seven and eight year-old learn ers w ho would be in the first
and se c o n d grade. The curriculum is ro tated on a tw o year cycle, but
each a g e group n e e d s to have th e a p p ro p riate lan g u ag e arts and m ath
b enchm arks for th eir g rad e level, while the social stu d ie s and sc ie n c e is
a d ap ted for tneir learning level. This pro ject will lead into the
organization of the se c o n d g rad e curriculum in the sa m e type of map.
This type of curriculum m ap not only w orks well for single grade
c la ssro o m s, but m ak es the job of the m ultiage te a c h e r m uch m ore
o rganized and le s s frustrating.

33

Project Methodology

Actually putting th is m ap to g e th e r w as very frustrating at the

beginning. W hen a p ro c e s s is new, frustration is often evident until the
p iec es fall into place.
The first ste p w as for the team of six first-grade te a c h e rs to m ake
su re th at all of the p a rts of the curriculum w ere available. Science,
social stu d ies, m ath, and language a rts individual curricula were
enlarged on a copy m achine so they w ere e asy to work with.
Second, we looked at the social stu d ie s and scien ce sta te
sta n d a rd s and benchm arks to s e e how they would fit to g eth er and
p e rh a p s overlap (se e Appendix A). Using four different colored
highlighters, each q u arter w as color c o d ed and sta n d a rd s and
b en chm arks w ere m arked w here they would fit b e st in each qu arter of
the year. For exam ple, plants, soil and rocks would have to be in the
spring or fall so the children could g e t o u tsid e to do exploratory work.
V ertebrate classification w orks b e s t in the spring for a field trip to the
zoo and o u r flag and patriotism fits well in February.
W hen all of th e s e w ere co lo r co d ed , four large sh e e ts of ch art
p a p er w ere m arked with first, se c o n d , third or fourth q u arters. Each
sh e e t w as divided into se c tio n s: so cial stu d ies, scien ce, language arts,
m ath and special projects. The social stu d ie s and scien ce sta n d a rd s
and ben ch m ark s w ere placed in th e q u arter w here they seem ed to work
b est; but they w ere not glued dow n perm anently. After each piece w as

34

placed, we looked over the w hole year for continuity, equal am ount of
co ntent, and m eshing of benchm arks. There w as so m e d isc u ssio n and
rearranging of th e se p ieces before the team actually ag reed on the
co n te n t of th e social stu d ie s and sc ie n c e curricula. We found th at som e
of the sc ie n c e did fit very well with th e social stu d ie s su c h a s plants
and th e food a s p e c t of the basic n e e d s of fam ilies. The them atic units
w ere developing on their own. We a lso found th at s te p s two and three
o rganized th em se lv e s to g eth er a s we placed th e s ta n d a rd s and
b en ch m ark s on th e chart paper. The team w as very excited to se e the
m ap developing.
Fourth, we looked at th e m ath com ponent. Our district m ath
com m ittee had already m arked the m ath le s s o n s for C hicago Everyday
M athem atics using red, yellow and green d esig n atio n s. B ecause
C hicago Math is a spiral program and c o n c e p ts are covered several
tim es during the year, te a c h e rs n eed ed to know w hen a c o n ce p t w as
in troduced (green), w hen m o st children will be able to m aste r a
c o n c e p t (yellow) and when a c o n ce p t m ust be m astered (red). This
rep ort w as very helpful to u s a s we listed th e le s s o n s and underlined
the critical red le s s o n s for both first and s e c o n d g rad e m ath books.
This gives te a c h e rs the ability to look at th is m ap and s e e the critical
le s s o n s for th e q u a rte r and work on them not only at m ath time; but
a lso at c e n te rs to reinforce th e s e c o n c e p ts for th o se who need extra
tim e and help.

35

Also, at th is tim e the team looked at the language a rts curriculum

and sin c e this is in the p ro c e ss of revision by the district, we found it
e a sie r to list the skills on a continuum sin ce m ultiage c la s s e s have
w ider variety of a g e s and abilities. T hose listed at the end of the
continuum will be th o s e ex p ec ta tio n s for the o ld ers or se c o n d g rade
children. However, m any of the y oungers or first g rade children will be
able to attain th e s e sam e g o als during th eir first year in the program so
we did not w ant to put restrictio n s on the ex p ectatio n s. The
b en ch m ark s for the y o u n g ers for th e first year are m arked by a line to
s e p a ra te them from the e x p ectatio n s for the olders. Som e of th e se
e x p ec ta tio n s are listed on the m ap b e c a u se they are m ore applicable to
certain tim es of the year. For exam ple, ABC o rder would not be tau g h t
to first g rad e rs at the beginning of the y ear b e c a u se they need to be
able to read w ords first and then be able to do th is skill. S econd
g ra d e rs will be e x p ected to have th is skill and develop it further at the
beginning of the year.
L ast of all, we listed the special p ro jects which include sp e a k e rs
or o u tsid e re so u rc e s we have u sed in the p a s t and so m e o th ers that
cam e to mind. The team found it helpful to have m ore than one p erson
giving input for th e s e reso u rce s. We also listed special p ro jects and
p ro d u cts th at will show w hat the children have learned so they can
a n sw er and d is c u s s the essen tial q u e stio n s p o se d on the curriculum
m ap. There are also field trip s th at would be applicable to the unit of
study. Also listed are the writing p ie c e s for the ch ild ren 's portfolios

36

th at follow them through the elem entary years. It is helpful to sp re ad

them o u t over the year. Finally, th e d istrict m andated a s s e s s m e n ts for
reading and writing are listed se p ara tely for y o u n g ers and o ld ers by
quarters.
P ertinent vocabulary th a t n e e d s to be u se d during the unit is also
included so th at the b a s is is laid for the next y e a r's curriculum . The
w ords are th o se th at norm ally w ould be u sed , but we found th at
te a c h e rs may u se o th er w o rd s in delivering the content.

Thus, children

will not all have the sa m e vocabulary going into the next grade. We all
seem ed to think it w as w orthw hile to include th e s e w o rd s in the map.
The last ste p in m aking th e curriculum m ap w as publishing the
finished m ap. We e ach to o k a q u a rte r and put it onto the com puter
trying to m ake them a s sim ilar a s p o ssib le . We had difficulty with this
a s we found th at each of us had a different view of w hat w as im portant
to be on the actual map. It w a s d e cid ed to let each team m em ber do
his/her own quarter and th en we w ould m ake a cc o m m o d atio n s to m atch
individual teaching sty les. This se e m e d like a go o d d ecisio n especially
a s I look back on the m ap and s e e th in g s th at I n eed ed to ch an g e for my
own classro o m . The following d o c u m e n t is th e com pleted m ap for the
first g rade curriculum for my m ultiage classro o m .
There are other crucial p a rts of th e curriculum th a t need to be
c o n sid ered but th at d o not need to be on the m ap itself. T hese are
listed in the a p p en d ice s for e a sy referen ce and would be listed on
m onthly or weekly le sso n plans. The list of literature for teaching

37

reading in the them atic unit are listed in A ppendix B. Videos and
Reading Rainbow v id eo s are u se d to en h an ce th e curriculum and to
give visual and auditory learn ers a n o th e r way of inputting the
inform ation (se e A ppend ices C & D). Each unit n e e d s to have
developm entally appropriate, h an d s-o n activities not only for tactile
learners, but b e c a u se th e s e activities are how children learn b est.
Som e of th e se are listed for each unit. Som e of them are u se d for
culm ination p ro jects a n d a s s e s s m e n t and so m e are experim ents and
learning p ro jects (see Appendix E). T echnology is the future an d
children in sc h o o ls today can u se c o m p u ters b e tte r than the te a c h e rs in
m o st c la s s e s . There is a list of s u g g e s te d activities for com puter use.
This is by no m ean s ex h au stiv e but gives so m e id eas to go with the
units (see A ppendix F). Appendix G sh o w s a m odel of a chart that will
be p o ste d in the c la ssro o m to give s tu d e n ts a s well a s p a re n ts an
overview of th e y e ar's curriculum .

R ecom m endations and P lans for D issem ination

After com pleting th e resea rch and work on Heidi Hayes J a c o b s

curriculum m ap for a m ultiage c la ss, I d isc o v ere d there w as m ore to
organizing the curriculum and w orking on curriculum com m ittees than I
had anticipated. I a lso co n clu d ed th a t this m ap will m ake teaching
m uch e a sie r in planning and gathering re s o u rc e s than in previous
years. Many of the units th at I have ta u g h t in th e p a st will not be u sed

38

th is year, b e c a u se they are not n e ed e d to m eet the sta n d a rd s and

ben chm arks from th e sta te . T here will be m ore time to tea ch few er units
which will enable m e to go m ore into d epth and not dipstick into many
o th er units.
I w a s am azed at how the them e grew o u t of the organization. In
the p ast, m uch tim e h a s been sp e n t contem plating a them e and then
finding th e right re s o u rc e s to fit the them e. The plan is now to begin on
the se c o n d g rade curriculum .
My im m ediate p lan s are to u se th e s e m aps in my c la ssro o m and
to sh a re them with o th e rs at my g rad e level. We are the only m ultiage
c la s s in the building, but it will be helpful to sh are m aps with o th er
sim ilar c la s s e s in o th er d istric ts who have u sed this type of procedure.
Since this m ap is on disk, I e x p ect to be able to add and delete d ata a s
I tea ch during the year. This will resu lt in a true reflection of w hat w as
taught.

39

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

First Nine W eeks
Social S tu d ies
T opics: Families, school, rules

Math
Y oungers: first g rade

F o cu s Q uestions:

Unit I:
1. 2^,4.5,6,7,8,9,10,11, 12, 13, 14,15

1. How do people and places change

over time?
2. Why are rules im portant?
3. What are the responsibilities of
m em bers of a group?

Unit 2:
16,11.18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27

C iders: se c o n d g rad e
Unit 1:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13

Vocabulary:
past, present, future, history, current
events, rules, consequences, rewards,
truth, respect, service, work, timeline,
days, w eeks, months, years.

Unit 2:
14,15,16,17 , l i l 3 , 20,21,22,23,24,25
Unit 3:
26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33

S cience
T opics: Plants, soil, rocks
C o m post

L anguage Arts

F o cu s q u estio n s:

R eading/L iterature Genre:

1. What m akes up weather and how

does it change from day to day and from
seaso n to seaso n ?
2. What are the ways plants and hum ans
respond to weather patterns?
3. What is the earth 's surface like?
4. How could we group rocks?
5. How do we classify a variety of
plants?

Realistic fiction, fantasy, nonfiction,

mystery, poetry

Skills
Positive attitude toward reading
Seeing oneself as a reader
One-to-one correspondence
Left to right orientation
Top to bottom orientation
Confirming, self-correcting cue system s
Solving unknown w ords
Phonics
Vocabulary developm ent
Re telling stories
Predictions and inferences
Sequgncina
Com prehension Q uestions
Self m onitoring for com prehension

Vocabulary:
soil, rocks, texture, hardness, size,
recycle, com post, plants, weather,
tem perature, wind, precipitation, clouds,
sunlight, seaso n s, autumn

Spelling
Phonetic
Working toward more conventional
Basic list
Supplem ental list
Dictation sen ten ces
Structural analysis
40

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

M echanics

S peaking

Olders:
Punctuation at end of sen ten ces
Capitals a t beginning of sen ten c es
and nam es of things.

D iscussing
Sharing
Speaking in turn
Sequencing/organizing
Stay on topic

G ram m ar
Olders:
Complete sentences
Types of sen ten ces: statem ent, question,
exclamation

Special P ro jects
Speakers:Bill Steffan, Grandparents,
Fishbeck scientist, career speakers from
parents if possible 4-H farmer

R eference Skills
Olders:
ABC order

Field Trips: Blandford Nature Center,

apple orchard

Writing

P ro d u c ts ic o m p o s tin g , graphing plant

growth, personal timeline, map of
school, science investigation with
apples

Pre-writing
Drawing pictures
Sharing ideas with others
Brainstorming
Listing
Word w ebs

Portfolio writing: Olders: Friendly

letter

Drafting

A s s e s s m e n ts for reading/writing:

Writing dictation
Writing to a prompt
Completing a draft

Y oungers: Reading Recovery

assessm en ts
Olders: MacMillan pre-test
District spelling pre-test

R evising/proofreading
Olders:
Conventional/phonetic spelling
Punctuation
Capitals

P enm anship
upper case DNealian
Learn lower case DNealian
Use both upper and lower case DNealian
appropriately

Listening
Following directions
Focusing on the m essage
Interpreting the meaning

41

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

S e c o n d Nine W eeks
Math

Social S tu d ies
T opics: Fam ilies, food,
com m unity, holidays

Y oungers: First G rade

Unit 3:
28.29.30,31.32.33.34.35.36.37

F o cu s Q uestions:
1. How do people and places change
over time?
2. What are the basic needs of a family?
3. What are goods and services?
4. How do we get g o ods and services?
5. What are m aps and what are their
u se s?
6. How does your environm ent affect the
way you live?

Unit 4:
38,39,4U1.42,43,44,45,4.47,48,49

O lders: S eco n d G rade

Unit: 4
34,35,36,37,38,39,40
U nits;
41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48

V ocabulary:

Unit 6:
49.50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57

traditions, celebrations, holidays, days,

weeks, m onths, years, rules, truth,
rewards, respect, loyalty, goods,
services, work

L anguage Arts
R eading/L iterature Genre:

S cience
T opics: Food/Nutrition, Keeping
Fit, W eather, C om post

Realistic fiction, nonfiction, fantasy,

poetry

Skills

F o cu s Q u estio n s:

Word families
Beginning, middle, end of stories
S equencing
Story m aps and w ebs
Expository reading strategies

1. What cau ses different kinds of

w eather?
2. What m akes up w eather and how
does it change from day to day and from
seaso n to seaso n ?
3. Why is it im portant to recycle natural
m aterials?

Spelling (Cont.)
M echanics

V ocabulary:

P unctuation at end of sen ten ces

Capitalization at beginning of sen tences
Capitalize proper nam es
Quotation marks
Commas
A postrophes

food groups, tem perature, wind,

precipitation, sunlight, wind, w ater
vapor, clouds, fog, rain, dew, solid,
snow , sleet, hail, frost, recycle

G ram m ar
Olders:
Subject and verb agreem ent

42

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

R eference Skills
Olders:
Multiple m eanings of w ords
Definitions of words
Using a glossary
Looking up definitions

Writing
Pre-writing (cont.)
Drafting
Focusing on a topic

R evising/proofreading
Adding ideas to work

P enm anship
Monitor progress, correct form ations

L istening(cont.)
Speaking
Use eye contact
Project voice

Special P rojects
S p eak ers: Chef, nutritionist from food
services, parents to explain celebrations

Field trips: Meijers or Forest Hill

Foods, Food Services or kitchen in the
school

P ro d u c ts: Create a lunch for food

services at school, plan a nutritious
meal and present it orally to the class,
sort pictures of goods and services,
write about Thanksgiving then and now
A s se ssm e n ts for reading/w riting:
Youngers: Running record, letter
recognition for th o se in question

Portfolio: Olders: "How to paragraph

43

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

Third Nine W eeks
Social S tudies
T opics: Fam ilies, clothing,
shelter, patriotism

O lders: S eco n d G rade

F o cus Q uestions:

Unit 8:
69,7071,72,73,74,75,76,77

Unit: 7
58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68

1. How do people and places change

over time?
2. What are the basic needs of fam ilies?
3. How do we get goods and services?
4. How does your environm ent affect the
way you live?
5. What are m aps and w hat are their
u ses?

Unit 9:
78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87

L anguage Arts
R eading/L iterature Genre:
Informational/expository, realistic fiction,
fantasy, fable, poetry

Vocabulary:
food, clothing, shelter, needs, wants,
goods, progress, globe

Skills
sto ry elem entsfcharacter, setting,
problem, solution, ending)
Main idea
Rewrite the story ending
Expository reading strategies
C haracter analysis
Drawing conclusions

Science
T opics: W eather, soil
F o cus Q uestions:
1. What cau ses different kinds of
w eather?
2. What are the ways hum ans respond
to w eather patterns?
3. How do the materials that make up
the earth s surface interact?
4. Why is it im portant to recycle
m aterials?

R eference Skills
Using a non-picture dictionary for
definitions

Writing

Math

R evising/proofreading

Y oungers: First G rade

Writing a paragraph
Indenting paragraphs

Unit 5:
0.51 ,2,53,54,55,56,L58,&SA61
Unit 6:
62.63.64.65.66.67.68.69.70.71.72,73
Unit 7:
74,7,5,76,77,78,79,80,81,82

44

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

sp e c ia l P ro jects
S p e a k e rs :F ls h b e c k engineers and
architects(shelters,bridges),

Field Trip: Fishbeck, T hom pson,

Huber and Carr Engineering Firm,
Blandford (maple sugaring)
P ro d u cts: Make a model of a sh elter in
a cooperative group, write a report and
present it orally.

Portfolio:
c id e rs: Personal story. Descriptive
paragraph

A s s e s s m e n ts for reading/w riting:

Youngers: Recheck letters/so u n d s for
concerned children, writing sam ple,
dictation sen ten ce
Ciders: MacMillan Mid Year
A ssessm ent, CTBS/TCS

45

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

Fourth Nine W eeks
Social S tu d ies
T opics: R ules, g eo g rap h y

Math
Y oungers: First G rade
Unit 8:
83.84,85,86,87,88,83Jfl.91

F o cu s Q u estio n s:
1. Why are rules im portant?
2. What are the responsibilities of
m em bers of a group?
3. How does the environm ent affect the
way you live?

Unit 9;
92,93,94,95,96,97,9&a&100,101

V ocabulary:

Unit 10:
102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110

plants, animals, feather, hair, fur, scales,

skin

C iders: S eco n d G rade

UnitIO:
88,89,90.991,92,93,94,95.96,97,98

S cience
T opics: Animal classificatio n ,
w eather, s e a s o n s

Unit 11:
99,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108

F o cu s Q uestions:

Unit 12:
109.110.111.112.113.114.116 116,117,118,
119

1. What characteristics would we

observe to differentiate anim als?
2. What m akes up w eather and how
does it change from day to day and from
seaso n to se a so n ?
3. What are the w ays plants, anim als
and hum ans respond to w eather
patterns?
4. Why is it im portant to recycle natural
m aterials?
5. How do m agnets interact with
objects?
6. How can we use m agnets?

L anguage Arts
R eading/L iterature Genre:
Informational/expository, realistic fiction,
fantasy, fable, poetry, biography

Skills
C ause and effect
Table of contents
Picture dictionary
R eports
Alphabetical order to second/third letter
Paraphrasing
Making Judgm ents: facts/opinion

V ocabulary
weather, tem perature, wind,
precipitation, clouds, sunlight, w ater
vapor, liquid, fog, rain, dew, solid, snow,
hail, sleet, frost, soil, water, puddle, lake
materials, m agnets, attract, m agnetic
force, poles, repel, force, m agnetic field,
patterns

46

First Grade Curriculum for Primary Unit

Special P rojects
S p eak ers: Farmer to sh ear a sheep,
Scott Korpak to dem onstrate science
lesson, Bob Barker(Canterbury Creek)
Mr. Cooper, Geologist, Excavator
Field Trip: John Ball Park Zoo (Call in
May, the year before, if w ant a
classroom lesson first). Critter Bam,
gypsum mine, peat m oss farm, gravel
pit,
P roduct: Writing and presenting an
animal report and project of child's
choosing.
Portfolio:
Y oungers; Friendly letter, personal story
Olders: Informative piece, poem

A sse ssm e n t reading/w riting:

Youngers: Post te st of Reading
Recovery battery.
Olders: MacMillan end of the year
assessm en t
District spelling post test

47

R eferences
Am erican A ssociation of School A dm inistrators. (1992). The n o ngraded

A nderson, R.H. (1993). The return of th e n o ngraded c lassro o m

Principal, 7 2 , 9-12
A nderson, R.H. & Pavan, B. N. (1993).
happen. L ancaster, PA: T echnovic Publish Co.
B olanos, P. J. (1989). R estructuring the curriculum .
13-14.
Bozzone, M. A. (1995). Straight talk from m ulti-age c lassro o m s.
Instructor. IM , 64-70.

early childhood p ro g ram s serving children from birth th rough

ag e 8. W ashington, B.C.: National A ssociation for th e Education
of Young Children.
Caine, R ., & Caine, G. (1990). U nderstanding a brain b a sed approach to
learning and teaching. E ducational L eadership. 4& 66-70.
Calkins, T. (1992). Off th e track. Children thrive in ungraded primary
sc h o o ls. The School A dm inistrator. 43,8-11.
Clough, D. B., Jam es, T. L., & W itcher, K. A. E. (1996). Curriculum
m apping and instructional supervision. NASSP Bulletin. 80,
79-82.
C ushm an, K. (1990). The w hys and how s of the m ulti-age primary
classro o m . Am erican E ducator: Am erican Federation of T eachers.
14. 288-39.

48

Elliott, I. (1 9 9 7 a ). Multiage c la ssro o m s: Fam ilies and flexibility.

Teaching K- 8. 21,45-47.
Elliott, I. (1997b). Multiage c la ssro o m s: T eam s and them es. Teaching
27. 48-50
Fogerty, R. (1991). Ten w ays to integrate curriculum . Educational
L eadership. 49, 61-65.
G austad, J. (1992). N ongraded prim ary education". R esearch
R oundup. National A ssociation of Elem entary T eachers. 9.1-4.
G austad, J. (1995). Building su p p o rt for n o ngraded education.

G latthom , A. A. (1987). T eacher autonom y vs. curricular anarchy.

NASSP Bulletin, 71,77-84.
G utierrez, R. & Slavin, R. E. (1992). A chievem ent effects of the
n o n g rad ed elem entary school: A b e s t evidence sy n th esis.
Review of Educational R esearch. 52, 333-376.
J a c o b s , H. H. (1989). The interdisciplinary c o n ce p t m odel: A
step -b y -step ap p ro ach for developing integrated units of study.
In H. Ja c o b s . Interdisciplinary cuniculum : Design and
im plem entation. Alexandria, VA. A ssociation for Supervision
and Curriculum D evelopm ent, pp. 52-65
J a c o b s , H. H. (1997a). Map p ing th e big picture. Alexandria, VA:
A ssociatiori for Supervision and Curriculum Developm ent.
J a c o b s , H. H. (1997b). Them atic interdisciplinary units: An interview
with Heidi Hayes Ja c o b s , Ed. D., T each er to T eacher, Prentice
Hall, Publisher, pp.82-85

49

Kane C ounty R eading Office of E ducation (1998) Overview of the

Illinois Learning S ta n d a rd s A lignm ent P ro c e ss, KC ROE Home
Page, [On line]. Available:
http://www.kane.k.12.il.us/ILS% 20Alignm ent/alignHom e.htm l
pp. 1-6
Katz, L. (1992). N ongraded a n d m ixed-age grouping in early childhood
program s. Eric Dige st. Urbana, IL.; University of Illinois, ERIC
D ocum ent R eproduction Service No. EDO-PS-92-9 .
Mackey, B., Jo h n so n , R. J. & W ood, T. (1995). Cognitive and affective
o u tco m es in a m ulti-age lan g u ag e a rts program . Journal of

Maeda, B. (1994). The m ultiage cla ssro o m . C ypress. CA: Creative

T eaching P ress, Inc.
Miller, B. (1996). W hat w orks in m ulti-age in stru ctio n . Education Digest,
61. 4-6.
Miller, W. (1995). Are m ulti-age grouping p ra c tic e s a m issing link in the
educational reform d e b ate? . NASSP Bulletin. Z3, 27-32
Pavan, B. N. (1992). The benefits of n o n g rad e d sc h o o ls, Educational
L e a d e .jh ip . 50, 22-25.
Roub, J. (1992). Curriculum integration: W here do I begin?. Bellevue,
WA.: Bureau of E ducation and R esearch, pp. 84,85
S hoem aker, B. J. E. (1991). E ducation 2000 integ rated curriculum .
Kappan. 72, 793-796
Slavin, R., Karweit, N. & W asik, B. (1993). Preventing early school
failure: W hat w orks?. Educational L ead ersh ip . 50*10-18.
Surbeck, E. (1992). Issu es in ed ucation: Multi-age pro g ram s in
prim ary g rad es: Are they educationally a p p ro p riate?.
E ducation. 1 3-4.

50

Veenman, S. (1995). Cognitive and noncognitive effects of m ultigrade

and m ulti-age c la s s e s ; A b e st evidence sy n th esis, Review of
Educational R esearch . 65, 319-381.
Wall, B. (1994). M anaging your m ulti-age classro o m . T eaching K-8, 25^
68-73.
W alser, N. (1998). Multi-age c la ssro o m s: An age-old grouping m ethod
is still evolving. The Harvard E ducation Letter. 14,11-3.
Willis, S. (1995). Reinventing sc ie n c e e d u ca tio n . Curriculum
Update, 1-8. A lexandria. VA: A ssociation for Supervision and
Curriculum D evelopm ent.

51

A ppendix A
S tate S ta n d ard s and B enchm arks

T hese are listed by q u a rte rs of the year according to the curriculum

m ap listed in the body of th is work. The stra n d s of th e social stu d ie s
s ta n d a rd s are d e sig n ated by Rom an N um erals. The s ta te s ta n d a rd s
are listed first and the b en ch m ark s are num bered a s they are in the
sta te curriculum . In this p a p e r the b en ch m ark s are indented u nder e ach
stan d ard . If a sta n d ard is m entioned m ore than once, only the
b en chm arks are listed and indented u n d er the social stu d ie s
p ersp ectiv es.

SOCIAL STUDIES

I. Historical P erspective
1. Ail stu d e n ts will se q u e n c e chronologically ev en ts in their lives in
o rd er to exam ine relatio n sh ip s and to explain c a u se and effect.
2.

Use w eeks, m o n th s and y e a rs a s intervals of time.

3/4. Place ev en ts of their lives an d their fam ilies lives in

chronological order; past, p re s e n t and future.

52

2. All stu d e n ts will u n d e rstan d narratives ab o u t m ajor e ra s of American

and world history by identifying the people involved, d escribing the
setting, and se q u en cin g th e events.
2. D escribe the p a st through the ey es and ex p erien c es of family
m em bers.
3. All stu d e n ts will rec o n stru ct the p a st by com paring interpretations
written by o th ers from a variety of p e rsp ec tiv e s and creating narratives
from evidence.
1. Use a variety of reco rd s to tell ab o u t their p erso n al or family
histories.
4. All stu d e n ts will evaluate key d e cisio n s m ade at critical turning
p o ints in history by a s s e s s in g their im plications and long-term
c o n se q u e n c e s.
1. Recall situ atio n s in their lives th at required d e cisio n s and
evaluate the d ecisio n s.

III. Civics Persp-ective

1. All stu d e n ts will identify the p u rp o se s of national, sta te , and local
governm ents in the United S tates, d e scrib e how citizens organize
governm ent to accom plish their p u rp o se s, and a s s e s s their
effectiveness.
2. D escribe c o n se q u e n c e s of not having rules.
3. All stu d e n ts will d e scrib e th e political and legal p ro c e s s e s created to
m ake d ecisio n s, seek c o n s e n s u s and resolve conflicts in a free society.

53

1. Explain how conflicts at sch o o l m ight be resolved in w ays that

are c o n siste n t with co re dem ocratic values.
4. All s tu d e n ts will explain how Am erican governm ental institutions at
th e local, sta te , and federal levels, provide for the limitation and sharing
of pow er and how the nations political sy ste m provides for the ex ercise
of power.
1. Identify rules at sch o o l and c o n sid e r c o n se q u e n c e s for
breaking rules.
2. D escribe fair w ays for fam ilies to m ake d ecisio n s.
3. D escribe w ays th at th o s e in the sc h o o l com m unity help each
other.

V. Inquiry
1. All stu d e n ts will acquire inform ation from books, m aps, new spapers,
d a ta s e ts and other so u rc e s, organize and p re se n t the information in
m aps, g raphs, ch arts and tim elines, interpret the m eaning and
significance of inform ation, and u se a variety of electronic tech n o lo g ies
to a s s is t in a c c e ssin g and m anaging inform ation.
1. locate inform ation using people, p h o to s, and other reso u rces.
2. All stu d e n ts will c o n d u ct investig atio n s by form ulating a clear
sta te m e n t o f a q u estio n s, gathering, and organizing inform ation from a
variety of so u rc e s, analyzing and interpreting inform ation, form ulating
and testing h y p o th eses, reporting resu lts both orally and in writing, and
making u se of ap propriate technology.

54

4. Report the resu lts of an investigations. (Traditions)

VI. Public D iscourse and D ecision Making

1. All stu d e n ts will sta te an issu e clearly a s a q u estio n of public policy,
trace the origins of the issu e, analyze various p erspective s people
bring to the issu e and evaluate p o ssib le w ays to resolve the issu e.
1. P o se q u e stio n s or d is c u s s is s u e s pertaining to school.

VII. Citizen Involvement

1. All s tu d e n ts will c o n sid e r the effe cts of an individual's actio n s on
o th er people, how one a c ts in a cc o rd a n c e with the rule of law, and how
o n e a c ts in a virtuous an d ethically re sp o n sib le way a s a m em ber of
society.
1. Help to determ ine, interpret and enforce sch o o l rules.

S econd Nine W eeks

1. Historical P erspective
2. All stu d e n ts will u n d erstan d narratives a b o u t m ajor e ra s of Am erican
an d world history by identifying th e p eo p le involved, describing the
setting, and se q u en cin g the ev en ts.
1. Identify who w as involved, w hat and w here it happened by
learning a b o u t different family holidays, celebrations and
custom s.

55

II. G eographic P erspective

4. All stu d e n ts will d e scrib e and co m p are c h a rac teristics of
e c o sy stem s, sta te s, regions, countries, m ajor world regions, and
p attern s and explain the p ro c e s s e s th at created them .
1. Identify regions in their im m ediate environm ent and d e scrib e
their c h a ra c te ristic s and b o u n d aries. (Map)

1. All stu d e n ts will d e sc rib e and d e m o n stra te how th e eco n o m ic fo rc e s

of scarcity and choice affect the m an ag em en t of p erso n al financial
re so u rce s, sh a p e c o n su m er d e c isio n s regarding the p u rc h a se , s u e and
d isposal of g o o d s and se rv ic e s and affect the econom ic well-being of
individuals and society.
1. Identify w ays fam ilies pro d u ce and c o n su m e g o o d s and
serv ices.
2. all stu d e n ts will explain and d e m o n stra te how b u s in e s s e s confront
scarcity and choice when organizing, producing, a usin g reso u rc e s, and
when supplying the m arketplace.
2. S elect a particular go o d or serv ice and d e sc rib e the ty p es of
re s o u rc e s n e c e ssa ry to p ro d u ce and distribute it.
3. All s tu d e n ts will d e sc rib e how governm ent d e c isio n s on taxation,
sp ending, public g o o d s and regulation im pact w hat is pro d u ced , how it
is p roduced, and who receives the b en efits of production.

56

2. Identify the g o o d s and se rv ic e s their school provides and the

people w ho provide them .
4. all stu d e n ts will explain how a free m arket econom ic sy stem works,
a s well a s other econom ic sy stem s, to co o rd in ate and facilitate the
exchange, production, distribution m ad and co n su m p tio n of g o o d s and
services.
1.

Identify exam ples of m arkets they experience in their daily life.

V. Inquiry
I. All stu d e n ts will acquire inform ation from b ooks, m aps, new spapers,
d ata s e ts and other so u rc e s, organize and p re se n t the inform ation in
m aps, g raphs, c h a rts and tim elines, interpret th e m eaning and
significance of inform ation , and u se a variety of electronic tech n o lo g ies
to a s s is t in a c c e ssin g and m anaging inform ation.
3. O rganize inform ation to m ake and interpret sim ple m aps.

Third Nine W eeks

II. G eographic Pgrso.ec.tiye

3. All stu d e n ts will d escrib e, com pare, and explain the locations and
c h arac teristics of econom ic activities, trade, political activities,
m igration, information flow, and th e interrelatio n sh ip s am ong them .
1. Identify locatio n s of significance in th eir im m ediate
environm ent and explain re a so n s for their location.

57

4. All stu d e n ts will d e sc rib e and co m p are c h a ra c teristics of

e c o sy ste m s, sta te s, regions, co u n tries, m ajor w orld regions, and
p a ttern s and explain the p ro c e s s e s th a t c re ate d them.
1. Identify p la c e s in their im m ediate environm ent and d e scrib e its
c h arac teristics and b o u n d aries.

IV. Econom ic P erspective

1. All stu d e n ts will d e scrib e and d e m o n stra te how the econom ic fo rce s
of scarcity and choice affect the m an ag em en t of perso n al financial
re so u rce s, sh a p e c o n su m er d e c isio n s regarding the p u rch ase, use, and
d isp o sal of g o o d s and se rv ice s an d affect the econom ic w ell-being of
individuals and society.
1. Identify w ays fam ilies p ro d u ce and co n su m e g o o d s and
services.
2. All stu d e n ts will explain and d e m o n stra te how b u sin e sse s, confront
scarcity and choice w hen organizing, producing, and using reso u rce s,
and w hen supplying the m arketplace.
2. Select a particular go o d or serv ice and d e scrib e the ty p e s of
re so u rc e s n e c e ssa ry to p ro d u ce and distribute it.
3. All stu d e n ts will d e sc rib e how governm ent d ecisio n s on taxation,
sp en d in g , public g o o d s, and regulation im pact w hat is produced, how it
is p roduced, and w ho receiv es the b en efits of production..
2. Identify g o o d s and se rv ic e s their sc h o o ls and com m unity
provide and the p eople w ho provide them .

58

4. All stu d e n ts will explain how a free m arket econom ic sy stem w orks
a s well a s other econom ic sy ste m s, to co o rd in ate and facilitate the
exchange, production, distribution, and co n su m p tio n of g o o d s and
services.
1. Identify ex am p les of m ark ets they experience in their daily
life.

V. Inquiry
2. All stu d e n ts will co n d u ct investigations by form ulating a clear
sta te m e n t of a questio n , gathering and organizing inform ation from a
variety of so u rc e s, analyzing and interpreting inform ation, form ulating
and testin g h y p o th eses, reporting resu lts both orally and in writing, and
m aking u se of a p p ro p riate technology.
3.

C onstruct an a n sw e r to the q u estio n p o se d and su p p o rt their

an sw er with evidence.

Fourth Nine W eeks

IV. Econom ic P erspective

5. All stu d e n ts will d e sc rib e how trad e g e n e ra te s econom ic
developm ent and in terd ep en d en ce and analyze the resulting challen g es
and benefits for individuals, p ro d u ces, and governm ent.

59

2. identify United S ta te s coin and currency d enom inations and

d e sc rib e the role of c a sh in th e e x ch an g e of g o o d s and
serv ices.

SCIENCE
Earth: W eather an d S e a s o n s
This will be a year-long study and will in co rp o rate m uch of our c a len d a r
work in the m ornings. The s tra n d s of th e sc ie n c e curriculum are
d e sig n ated by Rom an N um erals. The s ta n d a rd s are listed next and the
ben chm arks are indented an d listed u n d e r each sta n d ard . If a sta n d a rd
is m entioned m ore than once, only th e ben ch m ark s may be listed.

II. R eflecting on Scientific K now ledge

1. Develop an a w a re n e ss of th e need for evidence in m aking
d e c isio n s scientifically. (W eather m aps)
2. D escribe the relationship of sc ie n c e to oth er fo rm s of creative
e x p re ssio n su c h a s lan g u a g e a rts and fine arts.(M edia
re so u rce s)

III. Using Scientific K now ledge in Earth S cience

3. All stu d e n ts will investig ate an d d e sc rib e w hat m akes up w eath er
and how it c h a n g e s from day to day, from s e a s o n to s e a s o n an d over
long p erio d s of time; explain w hat c a u s e s different kinds of w eather;

60

and analyze the relationships betw een hum an activities and the
atm o sp h ere.
2. D escribe w eather co n d itio n s and clim ates.
3. D escribe se a s o n a l c h a n g e s in w eather.

First Nine W eeks

I. C onstructing New Know ledge

I. All stu d e n ts will a sk q u e stio n s th at help them learn ab o u t the world;
d esig n and c o n d u ct investigations using a p p ro p riate m ethodology and
technology; learn from b o o k s and o th er s o u rc e s of inform ation;
com m unicate their findings using a p p ro p riate technology; and
re c o n stru ct previously learned know ledge.
1. G enerate rea so n a b le q u e stio n s a b o u t th e world b a se d on
observation. (Plants)
4. Use sim ple m easu rem en t d e v ic es to m ake m etric
m easurem ent, (plants)

II. Reflecting on Scientific K now ledge

1. All stu d e n ts will analyze claim s for their scientific m erit and explain
how sc ie n tis ts decide w hat c o n stitu te s scientific know ledge; how
sc ien c e is related to oth er w ays of know ing; how sc ie n c e and

61

technology affect our society; and how p eo p le of diverse cu ltu res have
contributed to and influenced d ev elo p m en ts in science.
5. Develop an a w a re n e ss of contrib u tio n s m ade to sc ien c e by
p eople of diverse b ack g ro u n d s.

III. Using Scientific K now ledge in Life S cience

1. All stu d e n ts will apply an u n d erstan d in g of cells to th e functioning of
m ulticellular organism s; and explain how cells grow, develop and
reproduce.
1. C om pare and c o n tra st fam iliar o rg an ism s on the b a sis of
ob serv ab le physical c h a rac teristics, (plants.

Earth Sc ience: EarthlsJLand and Water

I. C onstructing new Scientific and P e rso n a l K now ledge

1. G enerate rea so n a b le q u e stio n s a b o u t the world, b a se d on
observation: (Soil)
2. Develop so lu tio n s to unfam iliar problem s through reasoning,
observation and /or experim ent. (C om position of soil)
5. Develop stra te g ie s and skills for inform ation gathering and
problem solving.(H um an c h o ic e s regarding land and w ater)
6. C onstruct c h a rts and g ra p h s and p repare su m m aries of
ob serv atio n s. (Soil and plant growth)

62

II. Reflecting on Scientific Know ledge

1. Develop an a w a re n e ss of the need for evidence In making
d e c isio n s scientifically. (Determ ine h a rd n e ss of rocks)
2. D escribe the relationship of sc ie n c e to o th er form s of creative
e x p re ssio n su c h a s language a rts and fine arts.(E xperiences
with mud)

V. Using Scientific Knowledge in Earth Science

1. All stu d e n ts will d e scrib e the e arth s surface; d e scrib e and explain
how the earth s fe a tu re s ch an g e over time; and analyze effects of
technology on the e arth s su rface and re so u rce s.
2. R ecognize and d e sc rib e different ty p es of earth m aterials.
6. D em onstrate m ean s to recycle m anufactured m aterials and a
disp o sitio n tow ard recycling. (Start com posting)
2. All stu d e n ts will d em o n stra te w here w ater is found on earth;
d e sc rib e the c h a ra c te ristic s of w ater and how w ater m oves; and analyze
the interaction of hum an activities with the hydrosphere.
2. T race the path th at rain w ater flow s after it falls.

S econd Nine W eeks

C ontinue with co m p o stin g and w eather.

63

Third Nine W eeks

II. Reflecting on Scientific K now ledge

1. All s tu d e n ts will analyze claim s for th eir scientific merit an d explain
how sc ie n tis ts d e cid e w hat c o n stitu te s scientific know ledge; how
sc ie n c e is related to o th e r w ays of know ing; how sc ie n c e and
technology affect o u r society; and hov/ p eople of div erse cu ltu res have
contributed to and influenced d ev elo p m en ts in science.
4. D escribe w ays in w hich tech n o lo g y is u sed in everyday life.
(Shelters, clothing)

Fourth Nine W eeks

Life S cience: K inds of Living Things

I. C onstructing Scientific K now ledge

1. All stu d e n ts will a sk q u e stio n s th at help them learn ab o u t th e world,;
d esign and co n d u ct in v estig atio n s usin g ap propriate m ethodology.......
5. Develop s tra te g ie s and skills for inform ation gathering and
problem solving. (20 q u e stio n s anim al gam e)
6. c o n stru c t c h a rts and g ra p h s an d p repare sum m aries of
observations.(A nim al m outh p arts)

64

II. Reflecting Scientific K now ledge

1. Develop an a w a re n e ss of th e need for evidence in making
d e cisio n s scientifically. (Animal skin ad ap tatio n s)
3. Develop an a w a re n e ss an d sensitivity to the natural world.
(D estruction of fo re sts a n d e ffects upon anim als)

III. Using Scientific K now ledge in Life S cience

2. All stu d e n ts will u se classificatio n sy s te m s to d e sc rib e g ro u p s of
living things.
1. C om pare and c o n tra st fam iliar o rg an ism s on the b a sis of
observ ab le physical c h arac teristics.
4. All stu d e n ts will explain how sc ie n tis ts c o n stru c t and scientifically
te s t th eo ries concerning the origin of life an d evolution of sp e cie s;
co m pare w ays that living o rg an ism s are a d ap ted to survive and
rep ro d u ce in their environm ents; and analyze how s p e c ie s change
through time.
2. Explain how physical and/or behavioral c h a ra c te ristic s of
o rg an ism s help them to survive in their environm ent.

Earth: W eather and S e a so n s

I. C on structing Knowledge
1. G enerate reaso n ab le q u e stio n s a b o u t the world, b a se d on
observ atio n .( T em perature predictions)

65

2. Develop so lu tio n s to unfam iliar problem s through reasoning,

o b servation and /or experim ent.(T herm om eters)
3. M anipulate sim ple m echanical d e v ices and explain how they
work. (T em peratures over time)

V. Using Scientific K now ledge in Earth S cience

2. All stu d e n ts will d e m o n stra te w here w ater is found on earth;
d e scrib e the c h a rac teristics of w ater and how w ater m oves; and analyze
the interaction of hum an activities with the hydrosphere.
1. D escribe how w ater e x ists on earth in three sta te s.

Physical: M agnets

I. C onstructing Scientific K now ledge

1. G enerate rea so n a b le q u e stio n s a b o u t the world, b a se d on
observation. (Use of m agnets)
2. Develop so lu tio n s to unfam iliar problem s through
reasoning, o b serv atio n and /or experim ent.
6. C onstruct c h a rts and g ra p h s and p repare sum m aries of
o b serv atio n s.

II. Reflecting Scientific K now ledge

1. Develop an a w a re n e ss of th e need for evidence in m aking
d e cisio n s scientifically.(E xperim ent with m agnets)

66

2. D escribe the relationship of sc ie n c e to o th er form s of creative

e x p ressio n su c h a s language a rts and fine arts.(A ct out being
a m agnet)
5. Develop an a w a re n e ss of co n trib u tio n s m ade to science by
people of diverse b a ck g ro u n d s.(P etru s Perigrinus)

V. Using Scientific K now ledge in Physical S cience

1. All s tu d e n ts will m easu re and d e sc rib e the th in g s around us; explain
w hat the world around u s is m ade of; identify and d e scrib e form s of
energy; and explain how electricity and m agnetism interact with m atter.
1. C lassify com m on o b je c ts and s u b s ta n c e s according to
observ ab le attrib u tes: color, texture, flexibility, length, weight,
buoyancy, s ta te s of m atter, m agnetic property.
2. Identify p ro p erties of m aterials th at m ake them useful.
3. D escribe the interaction of m agnetic m aterials with other
m agnetic and non-m agnetic m aterials.

F orest Hills Public S ch o o ls S cience and Social S tu d ies Curricula.

(1998). Grand R apids, Ml.: F o rest Hills Public Schools.
Michigan Curriculum Framework.(1996). Lansing, Ml.: Michigan
D epartm ent of Education.

67

Appendix B
Literature List for Reading

L et's Go Rock Collecting

Why Do Leaves Change Color

Fam ilies/Com m unities

O ur Granny
Our G randad Little Brother
Going to G ranm a's
W hen Dad W ent to Daycare
The C om er Store
O ur Town
O ur Street
To the Store
Araboolies o f Liberty Street
Crossing the New Bridge
The Relatives Came
Trip to Mini Town
Doctor DeSoto

Foods/Tlutntion
We Can Eat Plats
Pizza Party
Our Pumpkin
Vegetable Soup
Chocolate Chip Hippo
To the Store
Peanut Butter Rhino
Ice Cream Cows/ M itten Sheep
Smallest C ow in the W orld
"N ot N ow " said the Cow
Milk makers
Strega Nona
G regory the Terrible Eater
If You give a M ouse a Cookie
M ake Me a Peanut Butter
Sandwich and a G lass o f Milk
Six Dinner Sid
B read is for Eating
T ony's Bread
Giant Jam Sandwich

W eather/Seasons/Soil
The Storm
Rain
On a Cold, Cold Night
W eather/Seasons
The Four Seasons
W ho Likes the Cold
The W ind Blows Strong
Seasons
The W ind
Clouds, Rain, Fog
Hot and Cold W eather
W ind and Storms
1 Am W ater
W ater (Asch)
Seasons o f A rnold's A pple Tree
1 am a Rock

Holidays
The Star Spangled Banner
The Statue o f Liberty
Cinco de M ayo (HBJ)

68

Appendix B
Literature List for Reading

G oodbye House
H arry's House
A G ood Place For Me (Drum s)
My Apron
Building A House (Barton)
A House is a House for Me
The Three Little Pigs (R eaders
Theater)
Home Place
Hom es and Shelters
Roxaboxen
How a House is Build
M ike Mulligan
Ham mers, Nails, Planks, and Paint
The Little House
Town M ouse, Country M ouse
Percy and the Five Houses

Plants
We Can Eat Plants
I Am An Apple
Seed Story
See How it G row s
The Tiny Seed
The Carrot Seed
The Enormous Turnip
Lennea in M o n et's G arden
The First Forest
People and Plants
Plant W orks
Plants Galore

Repnles
Snakes
A lligator Under My Bed
Alligators and Crocodiles
Z ack s Alligator
Anim als in the Wild; turtles and
Tortoises
Life Story o f Snakes
Snakes are Hunters
Cricktor, the Boa Constrictor

Ice Cream C ow s/M itten Sheep

Charlie Needs a Cloak
The Dress I W ear to the Party
Shoes for G randpa
Stinky Socks
Hats, Hats, Hats
Hello, Cat, You N eed a Hat
Caps for Sale
Best Dressed Bear
The Sneaker Factory
Thom as' Snowsuit
The Hundred D resses
New Coat for Anna

Am phibians
Jum p, Frog, Jum p
Frog and Toad Books
Frogs and Toads
69

Appendix B
Literature List for Reading

Bats
Beavers
Lion and the M ouse

Frogs, Toads, Lizards and

Salam anders

Birds
It Could Still Be a Bird
Have You Seen Birds
Wliat M akes a Bird a Bird
The Ugly Duckling
Chanticleer
How to Build a Nest
Little Red Hen
M ake W ay for Ducklings
Eisb
Sw im m y

It Could Still be A Fish

Fishy Color Story
U sbom e First N ature Book o f
Fishes

Mammals
It Could Still be A M ammal
1 Love Cats
W hat Do You Do W ith a Kangaroo
Pandas
Why Polar Bears Like the Arctic?
M onkeys and Apes
Curious G eorge
C ase o f the M asked Robbers
70

A ppendix C
Videos
Available from Kent Interm ediate School District Media C enter

Plants:
P lants are alike and different

VHS02255

Visit to Apple Cider Country

VHS06700

Living and non-living

VHS01525

Plant or animal

VHS01673

S e a so n s:
Autumn c o m es to the fo re st

VHS030607

S e a so n s: W inter

VHS04004

S e a so n s: Spring

VHS01896

Sum m er

VHS01837

Food/Nutrition:
Feeding the world

VHS001185

Food: Farm to city

VHS01579

W here d o e s food com e from

VHS02559

Food

VHS04164

Health: Food and nutrition

VHS0162

S helters:
My ho u se

VHS00195

Basic n eed s: Shelter

VHS00029

71

How to build an igloo

VHS05638

Clothing:
Visit to a sh e e p farm

VHS00166

Purple co at

VHS03681

Animal fam ilies: Silkworm

VHS00019

Patriotism :
Our Am erican Flag

VHS03869

Patriotism

VHS03872

Pledge of A llegiance

VHS03871

Our countrys flag

VHS04464
V ertebrates

G eneral:
P lants and anim als d e p en d on e ac h o th er

VHS05189

Anim als with b a c k b o n e s

VHS04463

R eptiles:
A lligators/crocodiles

VHS05175

Cool creatures: R eptiles

VHS06887

Reptiles; a first film

VHS05068

A m phibians:
T adpoles and fro g s

VHS00248

Looking at am phibians

VHS02644

All about anim als; B irds

VHS02664

Backyard birds

VHS01494

Birds:

72

VHS04372

A lphabet of birds
Mammals;
All ab o u t m am m als

VHS02667

Sham u and you: m am m als

VHS06791

Mammals

VHS02695

All abo ut anim als; fish

VHS02665

Fish: first film

VHS01504

Fish:

73

A ppendix D
R eading R ainbow s
Available through F o re st Hill Public School Media C enter

Families:
Always My Dad
On the Day you W ere Born
Tight Times
Owen
Plants:
O nce There w as a Tree
F o o d s and Nutrition:
Milk Makers
G regory the Terrible E ater
R obbery at Diamond Dog Diner
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
If You Give a M ouse a Cookie
Ju n e 29, 1999
Holidays:
Mrs. Katz and Tush

74

Shelters:
B orreguita and the C oyote
Is T his a House for a Hermit C rab?
Fly Away Home
S om eplace Else
Patriotism :
The Wall
Clothing:
The Purple Coat
Three Hat Day
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
V ertebrates:
R echenkas E ggs
The Day Jim m ys Boa Ate the W ash
Mama Dont Allow
S alam ander Room
T ortoise and the Hare
Runaway Duck
Im ogenes A ntlers
Perfect th e Pig
D uncan and D elores

75

A ppendix E
P ro jects an d Activities

Family:
Family portrai:
Family walk: hom e project
Family T hanksgiving meal
Globe: w here family cam e from
Personal tim eline
Family quilt
Plants:
G rapes to raisins: AIMS
Cow to milk se q u e n c e
P lant/observe s e e d s
D issect b u lb s
T-shirt leaf print
S ort s e e d s
C reate a plant: all p a rts labeled
Soil, rocks:
Start C om posting
Investigate soil ou tsid e: layers
T est h a rd n e ss of ro ck s
Experim ent with soil: W hat m akes g o o d m ud?

76

Weather:
Cloud book
Record w eather daily on graph
C ondensation on a can
Read therm om eter daily
Spilt milk picture/w riting
Food:
Make ice cream /butter
Sort cereal b o x es
P asta p attern s
Cereal p attern s
Bread tasting: graph
E norm ous turnip big book
Peanut butter day
C ollages in s h a p e of cow: dairy,
turnip: v e g etab les etc.
Make pizza: w hat food g ro u p s?
Shelters:
Home project: build sh elter/rep o rt
C ooperative sh e lte rs in school
Building c e n te r

77

Clothing:
Silkworm book
Plant to p a n ts se q u e n c e
S heep to sw eater
Cow to sh o e
C reate new sh o e on a la s t
V ertebrates:
Home project: w ritten report, oral
presen tatio n , project
Animal covering book
20 q u e stio n animal gam e
Animal Je o p ard y
Patriotism :
Make a flag
Learn th e pledge
M agnets:
T est stre n g th of m ag n ets
W hat will m ag n ets attract
Make a m agnet p u p p e t sh o w

78

Appendix F
Technology

1. Using Kid Fix with either sta m p s or draw ing, m ake pictures of your
family.
2. Write a note a family m em ber.
3. Make a num ber story ab o u t your family.

W eather/Soils/R ocks:
1. Using Kid Fix, draw the layers of the soil. Use different co lo rs for the
layers.
2. Draw you favorite w eather and write a se n te n c e about it.
3. Make a m ath problem with clouds.

Foods/N utrition:
1. Using sta m p s o r draw ing divide your sc re e n into four parts and put
v e g etab les and fruits in one, dairy p ro d u cts in one, m eat in one and
cereal in one. You can draw them , write w ords or u se stam ps.
2. Make an adding problem with an apple tree.
3. Make a su b tractio n problem with an apple tree.
4. Make a grocery list for a lunch you like. You can write w ords or draw
pictures.

79

Holidays:
1. Make a holiday card for your family.
2. Draw so m e d e c o ra tio n s you u se at your hom e during the holidays.
3. Make a m ath problem using sta m p s and have a buddy solve it.
4. Make a flag with the pencil on Kid Fix.

Plants:
1. Draw a plant and label its p arts: ro o ts, stem , leaves and b lo sso m or
fruit.
2. W atch the L aser Disc a b o u t p lan ts grow ing in slow motion.
3. Make your own picture of hov/ a plant grow s.

Clothing:
1. Draw clothing for sum m er, spring, fall or winter.
2. D esign a new T-shirt.
3. Make a m ath problem with sh o e s.

Sheltecsi
1. Draw a sh elter for a cold clim ate and o n e for a hot clim ate. Label
them .
2. Draw o r m ake list of to o ls you w ould need to build a h o u se. Which
o n e s are hand to o ls and w hich n eed electricity?

80

Animals:
1. For each of the five c la ssifica tio n s of v erteb rates, m ake a picture.
Show one animal an d Its habitat.
2. Make a slide show of the pictures.

81

F am ilies

Fam ilies

Rules
t

Plants
Health
Holidays

=r
D)
%

hood

traditions

Seasons

3.

Weather

Seasons

First Nine Weeks

Weather

S eco n d Nine Weeks

Interdependence
o f Living Things

oroo

3T
(D

Our Country
A nim als

J /
hood Chain

Seasons
Weather

Clothing

Shelter

Seasons
Weather

Fourth Nine Weeks

Third Nine Weeks

c_
c_ Y
=i
3 L
S y'
0)
O O

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7i

O
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3

GR.\ND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

ED 695 DATA FORM

N .AVIE

Rae Anne Besser Hansberry

MAJOR (Choose only 1)

Ed Tech
Elem Ed
'Elem LD

TITLE

Ed Leadership
__G/T Ed
_ S e c LD
Read/Lang .Arts

Sec/Adult
__Early Child
_ S p E d PP

Development o f the Curriculum for use in a Primary Multiage Classroom Using

a CurriculumMap
P.APERTYPE

(Choose only 1)

[ X ] Project

SEM/YR. COMPLETED: August. 1998

[

] Thesis

SUPERVISOR S SIGNATURE OF APPROV.AL^

7W

/^

Using the ERIC thesaurus, choose as many descriptors (5-7 minimum) to descnbe the
contents of your paper
1 Educational objectives

5. Curriculum design

2 Curriculum development

6 Educational planning

3 Mixed age grouping

7 Child development

4 Nongraded instructional groups

8. Multigraded classes

.ABSTR.ACT Two to three sentences that describe the contents o f your paper.
The curriculum map designed by Heidi Hayes Jacobs begins with state standards and
benchmarks and enables the teachers to use the curricula they are actually using in the
classroom to fit into this framework. Because a multiage classroom poses more
challenges for curriculum planning due to the wider range o f abilities and aaes in the
classroom plus two or three years o f curriculum to plan: this framework enables the
teacher to see at a glance what he/she actually teaching It also gives parents and students
as well as administrators the same information.