What is this exactly? Integrated Exploratory is exactly what it says it is. Throughout the course of the year your students and I will explore larger topics into which all California State Standards and Frameworks have been integrated. The class will offer a series of open-ended projects centered on Big Questions. This means that your student will be able to engage in quasi self-directed study, searching out answers to questions that have meaning or relevance to him/her. It does not mean that the class will become a “free-for-all” with little or no accountability for content. It does mean that direct instruction will be a part of every day. It also means that your student may not be involved in exactly the same activities, projects, and lessons on the same days, at the same times, or in the same ways as other 5th grade classes. I expect to complete a long-range plan for the year before the end of June. I will make this basic curriculum plan available to you, and will invite comment at that time.
The Developmental Component: This new structure of curriculum delivery has a significant developmental component. Students who are 10 and 11 years old are moving – at their own pace – from CONCRETE to FORMAL operations. The Concrete Operations phase is characterized by a student’s ability to think abstractly and to make rational judgments about concrete or observable phenomena, which, in the past, he/she needed to manipulate physically to understand. In teaching this child, giving him/her the opportunity to ask questions and to explain things back to you allows him/her to mentally manipulate information. Formal Operations is characterized by no longer requiring concrete objects to make rational judgments. At this point, students are capable of hypothetical and deductive reasoning. Simply put, they are able to see beyond themselves and understand that they can, to some degree, manipulate their world. Instruction for this pre-adolescent can become wide-ranging because he/she will be able to think divergently and consider many possibilities from several perspectives. (See http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/piaget.htm for further information.)
Where your student falls on this developmental continuum will play a significant role in his/her ability to participate in this type of study. Although there is very little adults can do to hasten this natural development, it is hoped that all students will be fully engaged in the ‘understand –> observe –> define –> ideate –> create (prototype) and –> test’ cycle that is essential by second semester. This product producing and reflective process will be taught during the first weeks of school. Also during these beginning weeks, considerable time will be given to developing the interpersonal skills necessary to work as a fully contributing member of a team. Interdependence (i.e. if one succeeds, we all succeed; if one fails, we all fail) will become a watchword as we move through the year.
Parent Involvement: There will be many ways in which parents can volunteer their help. These opportunities are:
| Title | Description |
| 1. Offsite/Field Trip Procurer & Organizer | Work with teacher to find and book curriculum related field trips that are not part of the regular 5th grade series |
| 2. Grade Level Field Trip Organizer | Work with teacher to organize trips that are part of the regular 5th grade series (Age of Sail, Symphony, etc.) |
| 3. Speakers’ Bureau | Work with teacher to find and book curriculum related speakers and schedule actual (on site) or virtual (Skype) visits |
| 4. Technology – Locate Curriculum Relevant Internet Sites | Work with teacher to find, and post to our website, appropriate curriculum related websites |
| 5. Technology – Manage/Input Student Software Accounts | Work with teacher and IT staff to input student names into specialized software accounts (Renzulii, g-mail, etc.) |
| 6. Technology – Monitor Classroom Blog & Wiki | Work with teacher to read and allow or deny daily blog (and wiki) posts by students |
| 7. Reading Period Monitors | Work with teacher to monitor student reading period so students are engaged in “reading to learn” |
| 8. Secretarial | Work with teacher to keep student files orderly and paper distribution (class to home) flowing |
| 9. Small Group Leader(s) | Work with teacher to engage students in small group instruction or, assist with the management of project task completion |
| 10. Art Consultant | Work with art and classroom teachers and students to integrate artists and artistic genre, as well as artistic techniques/principles into student projects |
| 11. Music Consultant | Work with music and classroom teachers and students to integrate musicians and musical genre, as well as musical techniques/principles into student projects |
| 12. Foreign Language Consultant | Work with classroom and Spanish teachers to coordinate Bi-Lingual Buddies program with Hatch School in Half Moon Bay |
| 13. Global Cultural Consultant | Work with classroom and other foreign language speakers to develop communications (e-pals, Skype conversations) with similar age students in at least 1 other country |
| 14. Math Cnsultant | Work with math and classroom teachers and students to integrate math concepts into student projects (This is not a pull out math program!) |
| 15. Science Consultant | Work with science and classroom teachers and students to integrate scientific principles and concepts into student projects (This is not a pull out math program!) |
| 16. Science Project Assistant(s) | Work with science teacher during direct instruction to distribute materials, check student engagement and thinking, assist with clean up |
| 17. PodCast Technician | Work with classroom teacher and students to integrate well scripted Podcasts into projects, and/or for general broadcast on the website |
| 18. Videographer | Work with classroom teacher and students to integrate well scripted and rehearsed video into projects, and/or for general broadcast on the website |
| 19. Service Learning Coordinator | Work with classroom teacher and community resource managers to develop a meaningful service learning project |
As we move through the year, these roles may morph in new and exciting ways, and additional roles for parents may develop as the year progresses. If you see something (above) that strikes a chord, let me know right away (851-1777 X2239 or mbarton@pvsd.net) so I can begin to plot out and schedule our year.
Internet Use: No, we are not the Technology Class, but we will be spending a lot of time online this year! Therefore it is important that your student be permitted to get involved in the Internet in a big way. We will need your permission to have your student access not only classroom approved Internet sites for research, but that he/she begins to understand the broader implications of Internet usage through blogs, wikis, email, and other Web 2.0 technologies. We most certainly will be using Skype to bring in outside experts to answer questions, and we may even find a social networking site helpful in managing local and global connections. The Network Use Policy (NUP) that you signed when your student started at Corte Madera included some but not all of these aspects of Internet use. Therefore we will be asking you to sign an addendum to the current NUP that will cover all school related network/Internet use.
In addition, we will spend some time early in the year teaching Internet ethics (i.e. appropriate citizenship while on line), Internet Safety (i.e. what to watch out for online), and Internet Literacy (i.e. how to tell when information is authentic).
Physical Structure of the Classroom: We expect our classroom to look very different next year. It is a relatively small space to accommodate all that we hope to do, so we will need to keep a streamlined profile. We will have no desks filled with consumable workbooks. Collapsible tables and moveable partitions are being ordered. Students will share ALL materials (sets of textbooks, markers, etc). Personal items will need to be left outside in book bags or at home. There will be ample storage to accommodate project work, and each student will keep a portfolio of completed class work, writings, projects, and evaluations. Students will be responsible for classroom set up and clean up every day.
Authenticity and Accountability: This program will try to approximate, as closely as possible, the higher education and working world into which these students are headed. We wish to make this experience as authentic and relevant as possible for students of this age. So it will be important for your student to “step-up” and take control of his/her academic production and social responsibility. Individual students and/or student teams will, as the year progresses, become completely accountable for project work; and, 95% of student work will be completed in school. Accountability for QUALITY work is one of the hallmarks of this Integrated Exploratory program. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, sloppy or incomplete products will be considered unacceptable and returned for further refinement. Rubrics will be the preferred method of quantitative evaluation. The structure of the 5th grade report card may also change. But this is an administrative decision that has not yet been made.
Homework: Homework expectations will be different as well. What will be routine are: 1.) responding to a blog post by a student peer or the teacher, and 2.) reading for pleasure. Beyond this, students will determine, based on daily personal reflection, what it is they must do to prepare for their next day. As teacher, I will check day-planners and will authorize each student’s independent choice. Here are some examples: If it is his/her turn to report on a current event, then he/she must locate information and prepare a short talk. If a group presentation is scheduled, he/she should rehearse. If he/she is part of a group delving into a particular topic, he/she should spend time researching the topic. If he/she is having trouble determining the mathematical probability that their model may fail, he/she may need to work with the concept of probability. If he/she can’t remember when to use the homonyms there, their, or they’re, he/she should spend some time thinking about and writing sentences containing the tricky words. If his/her team is constructing a product and needs materials found easily at home, he/she should gather those materials to support his/her team efforts. Students should spend 45 – 60 minutes on relevant homework. And, don’t forget to chat with your student about his/her school day --- every day. As your child’s first teacher, you can offer much in the way of background knowledge, perspective, and guidance.
Communication: It is important that we establish firm lines of communication early on. Having frequent conversation will be essential to the success of this program. To that end, I would like to form an e-mail distribution list of all Integrated Exploratory parents. This list will not be made public and names will never appear in the address line of any email. Please email me at mbarton@pvsd.net so that I can include your name on this most important list.
We have now created this blog, with pages for parents and students. This blog, it is hoped, will provide our special Integrated Exploratory community with a place to exchange ideas and share opinions.
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