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EDF4512 Gifted Education- Assignment Two- Emalie Gordon 24155756

A Differentiated Curriculum Unit on Fairytales


- Inspired by the Maker Model-

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Contents
Rationale..............................................................................................................................................................

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Unit Aims.............................................................................................................................................................

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Integrated Curriculum and Differentiated Content............................................................................................

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Maker Model (Content, Process, Product and Environment).............................................................................

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Assessment.........................................................................................................................................................

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Self Evaluation.....................................................................................................................................................

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Peer Evaluation...................................................................................................................................................

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References..........................................................................................................................................................

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Rationale
A commitment to a greater focus on individual needs is more likely to lead to satisfying learning experiences for students (Cornish, 2008,
p.19).
Incorporating strategies that allow for successful differentiation of curriculum in response to students needs is at the forefront of this unit.
Using integrated or theme based curriculum, and a combination of open ended activities, frequent and flexible grouping, student choice and
encouragement of independent learning and peer tutoring is how I have decided to achieve this (Cornish, 2008).
This unit is designed for students in grade one and two on the theme fairytales. It will be taught over seven weeks, the first week being a time
to determine the students prior knowledge and skills and present an introduction; with each week to follow aimed at exploring many
elements of fairytales under particular subject areas whether, literacy, numeracy, art or ICT and the final week a time for students to compile
what they have completed and present it to the class. The unit will be well structured with set activities but allow for open-ended response at
varying pace and depth (Robinson, 2002).
Students will have freedom of choice in five different activities each week; allowing for this increases student participation as they can choose
an activity that is suited to their strengths and abilities. It also harnesses student curiosity and develops work at many varying standards from
which the teacher can assess and evaluate upon. I have intentionally created the integrated unit as a collection of non-specific tasks to allow
for student interpretation, encouraging the gifted to challenge themselves yet still allowing for students with low abilities to complete
activities to their capacity. However, high expectations through high order thinking including creative and critical thinking (Forster, 2006,
p.41) will still be essential in the classroom as to create an environment that encourages students to create work that is the best they can do,
and avoid students thinking they can get away with putting in no or very little effort.
The Maker model has inspired me in the creation of this unit of work as it allows for differentiation and modification on not just content alone,
but also process, product and the learning environment, all key to catering for specific needs in the classroom. It also emphasises the
importance of providing experiences for a student that are qualitatively different from those provided for all children (Gross, Sleap &
Pretorius, 1999, p.41). This is reflected in how I intend to evaluate the students work, as individualised examples that allow for a range of
levels of achievement to be demonstrated, representing their learning achieved over time (Robinson, 2002).
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Unit Aims
VELS Strands
Physical,
Personal and
Social learning

Domains
Interpersonal
development
Personal
learning

Disciplinebased learning

English

Dimensions
Learning Objectives
Through activities such as reading, discussion and role-play, students learn to recognise and describe the feelings and
emotional responses of others.
Students learn to work in teams to complete structured activities within a set timeframe.
Students begin to take responsibility for managing their time and resources within the context of structured tasks that
have clear outcomes and a set timeframe. They begin to set short-term goals related to specific tasks, such as setting a
time limit for a particular activity, and to reflect on their achievements.
Reading
Describe some differences between imaginative informative and persuasive texts (ACELY1658)
Writing
Speaking and
listening

Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing, performance and digital forms of
communication(ACELT1586)
Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts and share personal responses to these texts,
making connections with students' own experiences(ACELT1582)
Discuss how authors create characters using language and images (ACELT1581)
Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types of literature and explore some features
of characters in different texts
(ACELT1584)
Students begin to select, arrange and make choices about ways of using art elements.
Students investigate the use of skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technology
to create art
People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living
things(ACSHE022)

The Arts

Creating and
making

Science

Science as a
Human
Endeavour
Students practice skills of being attentive listeners. Students are encouraged to use questions to clarify meaning and to
extend interaction. Students learn to modify their communication according to context. Students regularly make short
oral presentations to small groups or whole class.
Students follow a set of instructions and may begin to contribute to planning the main steps to make a product. They
explain what they are making and which tools and equipment they are using.

Interdisciplinary Communication
learning

Design,
Creativity and
Technology
Information and Students use ICT to acquire new knowledge and skills in all areas of the curriculum and to create and present information
Communications in meaningful ways.
Technology
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Integrated curriculum and differentiated content


Topic- Fairytales
Week
Learning content and format
1. Prior knowledge investigation and introduction
2- Literacy: Reading
Student differentiated Tasks:
Read various fairytales with the
1. Character analysis/report
students and discuss different aspects
2. Listen to and read along with fairytale books on the computers/iPads (how are the lives of characters in fairytales
of each including the plot, characters,
different from our own?)
setting etc
3. Sequencing of events task on a particular fairytale
4. Compare and contrast different versions of fairytales
3- Literacy: Writing
Student differentiated Tasks:
Develop students awareness of the
1. Create your own fairytale or re-create an existing one
structure of narrative writing
2. Fairytale book report
(characters, location, start, middle,
3. Take a non-leading character out of a fairytale and create a story where they lead
end)
4. If I had a fairy godmother, If I was a prince, If I lived in a castle ...
4- ICT
Student differentiated Tasks:
Introduce students to safe and
1. iPad apps (games, puzzles, trivia)
appropriate use of ICT, present
2. Camera- Give students the opportunity to dress up and take photos to retell a fairytale through images
interactive apps that allow for students 3. Computers- (games, puzzles, typing etc)
to create characters, complete puzzles. 4. Interactive whiteboard if available
5- The Arts: Dance, drama, visual art,
Student differentiated Tasks:
music, media
1. Create your own fairytale character and present to the class in some way (poster, puppet, play)
Encourage students to try new
2. In a small group use a form of media to present a different take on a fairytale (imagine youre the writer of the
mediums when understanding,
fairytale, what would you change, what would you keep the same?)
completing and presenting their work
3. Listen to music from fairytales and re-create using classroom resources and instruments
4. Create your own fairytale or re-create an existing one and act it out
6- Numeracy/ Science
Student differentiated Tasks:
Highlight how other subject areas can
1. Various measurement (weight) tasks based on Goldilocks and The Three Bears
be found in fairytales such as maths,
2. Collect data and make a graph on students favourite fairytales
and science for example.
3. Create a fairytale castle using shape cut outs (triangles, squares, rectangles)
4. Grow your own bean (Jack and the Beanstalk)
7- Presentations
Students present their work to the class and teacher, then complete a self evaluation and peer evaluation.
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The Maker Model


Content
Abstraction
Complexity
Variety
Study of people

Students delve into fairytales beyond the surface of the story itself; exploring many alternatives to traditional
fairytales using their imagination as well as researching characters beyond what is presented in the stories.
Many activities require students to research further into a fairytale or particular character before completing
certain tasks. Students may need to research using various multimedia.
Students are exposed to learning from many different subject areas, often completing a task that consists of two
at the same time. (As seen in my unit aims table above)
Students explore how lives in fairytales are different from ours and in what ways.

Process
Open- ended processing

Discovery
Freedom of choice
Group interactions of
like-ability peers

The tasks I have set for this unit are not specific or limited to particular ability groups therefore allowing for
students to interpret and complete in their own ways. Students are encouraged to complete activities to the best
of their ability and to challenge themselves with exploring concepts at a more in-depth level.
Giving students a range of activities to complete allows them to discover ideas about fairytales that they may not
have deemed possible without the opening I have provided.
Freedom of choice creates a learning environment that is not restricted therefore allowing all student possibilities
to be accepted and valued.
Group interactions are made possible in at least one activity for each week, catering for students who work well
in groups. Students can choose how they approach a task and with whom, if they need the assistance of others to
create the end product.

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Product
Evaluations

Transformation

Assessment does not take place in the form of tests with right and wrong answers but rather in qualitative forms
as outlined below. Students complete a self and a peer evaluation at the end of the unit that will assist in both
assessment and modifications for additional use of the unit.
Each week students build on their knowledge from previous weeks to develop a comprehensive understanding of
a range of fairytales and a collection of skills formed when applying their imagination to complete activities.

Learning Environment
Student centred

Encouraging
Open

Accepting

Complex

Divergent

Students interests will be explored in the first week of the unit therefore every attempt should be made after this
to ensure the activities cater for their needs and wants. Constant discussion will occur in attempt to maintain this
connection.
All of my activities encourage student initiative and as students will be completing different tasks I am placing a
degree of responsibility on them for their learning.
The structure of my assessment allows for open learning. For students to be free of restrictions in their individual
work and to be confident that their results will reflect their learning and progression through the unit and not the
student next to them.
As written above in many other areas, an accepting environment will be created from the beginning of the unit
when I introduce students to how each week will play out and the importance of students picking tasks that are
suited to their own abilities, knowing that that is what they will be marked on.
In terms of complexity students are placed responsible for how in depth they approach a task and hence will be
marked on this at the end, through the quality of work element in the rubric. An abundance of resources will be
made available to the students to complete their activities which will assist them in going beyond a basic surface
approach to their work.
Each student will approach each task in different ways therefore allowing for divergent thinking and behaviours,
where multiple ideas are accepted.

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Assessment
Throughout the six weeks, activities the students choose to complete will be collected and presented to the class and
classroom teacher in a medium of his or her choice as approved by the teacher e.g. poster, portfolio, folder. Below is an
assessment rubric I would use.
1 point
Completion of
work
(including
evaluations)

2 points

3 points

4 points

5 points

Student completed
only one activity fully
and made attempts to
begin others

Student completed two


activities fully and had
begun others

Student completed three


activities and was
working on the fourth

Student completed
Student had
four activities and was successfully
working on the fifth
completed an
activity from each
week (or more)

Very poor quality


showing no
understanding of
underlying ideas

Fair quality showing very


little understanding of
underlying ideas

Satisfactory quality
showing an acceptable
understanding of
underlying ideas

Very good quality


showing a developing
understanding of
underlying ideas

Outstanding quality
showing great
understanding of
underlying ideas

Spelling,
grammar,
punctuation

No attempt made at
proofreading work for
mistakes (over fifteen
mistakes)

Between ten and


fourteen mistakes made

Multiple mistakes made


(between four and nine)

Few mistakes made


(less than four)

Flawless spelling,
grammar and
punctuation
throughout

Presentation
of work

Careless presentation

Basic presentation

Satisfactory presentation

Very good
presentation

Excellent
presentation

Quality of
work

Comments:
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Student Self Evaluation

Self Evaluation
Name:
Did you enjoy this unit?
List five things you learnt from
this unit.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Did you give every activity your


best shot?
If not, why?

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Student Peer Evaluation

Peer Evaluation
Peers name:
Did you like what they did?
What could they improve on next
time?

Did you learn anything from your


peer?

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References
AusVels. Standards and Learning focus (2015). Retrieved May 7th, from http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Level1
Cornish, L. (2008). Differentiation in Mixed-grade Classrooms. TalentEd, Vol 26, Nos. 1 & 2.
Forster, J. (2006). Quality teaching for gifted learner: An action research approach to professional learning. Australasian
Journal of Gifted Education, 15(2), 32- 42.
Gross, M. U., Sleap, B., & Pretorius, M. (1999). Gifted students in secondary schools: Differentiating the curriculum,
Chapter 5. GERRIC, University of New South Wales.
Robinson, L. (2002). Tips on Planning for Gifted Students. Vision 12(3), 12-16.

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