The best learning in schools reflects the learning and living in the world around us. Thus, as the world we live in is full of interconnectedness, cross disciplinary connections, and ongoing interactions between subject matters, this unit presents ideas and attempts to fluidly connect different topics and subjects to each other in an authentic way. Students will be exposed to mathematics and language arts while learning about architecture and music. These disciplines will not be taught with confines of rigid boundaries, but rather intersect with each other through various learning exercises and experiences. We will grow as mathematicians, musicians, architects, aesthetics, and learners by engaging the senses and practicing skills.
The instructional strategies in the unit are all designed to be effective for all levels of students, from proficient mathematicians to students just beginning to gain basic number sense, ELLs (English Language Learners) to fluent English speakers, from students whose parents are architects to students who have never heard the word "architecture," from proficient musicians to students never having sung or played a musical instrument before, from low-literacy levels to highly literate students. There is currently an increase in inclusive educative practices, allowing English Language Learners, students with Individual Education Plans, and Talented and Gifted students to all learn together within the context of one elementary classroom. Thus, teachers must be all the more sensitive to differentiated instruction. Teachers should accommodate to different ability levels, as well as multi-modal learning: address of learning styles such as visual, kinesthetic, tactile, and auditory. Another way would be to address multiple intelligences: interpersonal, linguistic, physical, natural, intrapersonal, mathematic, visual/spatial, and musical intelligences. This unit incorporates both homogeneous and heterogeneous groupings for instruction and practice. The use of homogeneous grouping for certain activities allows for students to be challenged at their levels (e.g., guided reading groups). The use of heterogeneous grouping allows for students to mix with other students of different ability levels, which allows for struggling students to participate in activities they would not be able to do independently, while higher level students can engage in deeper thinking skills by assisting the struggling students in their learning (e.g. through explaining, summarizing, teaching, etc.)
Oral language development will be emphasized and ongoing within instruction, as per developmental needs of kindergarteners; therefore, many of the instructional strategies in the unit are centered around oral language. One of the most important strategies which is referred to throughout the unit is the 10-2, in which the teacher stops talking after ten minutes to allow students to talk for two minutes. This allows students to orally reprocess newly learned information by discussing with a partner or small group. Students can simply restate vocabulary, discuss a concept, or formulate questions. It is a time for "target talk"- for students to develop their oral language skills in a constructive, academic setting. I also highly utilize structured oral language development through poems and chants. Throughout the year, my students become familiar with the frames used for these poems and chants, so that when new content is introduced in the familiar frame, struggling readers have greater opportunities for success and can quickly comprehend. Students are given opportunities to repeat/echo, restate, and retell frequently. This allows students to practice the new language in a safe, choral setting before they are asked to read or write it.
Teaching this unit to a group of kindergartners, some of whom may never have been to school before, requires that this unit has focused, intentional vocabulary and concepts that they will use readily. This unit is designed thematically to incorporate math, architecture, music, and literacy. Brain research shows that students are more likely to retain newly learned information when it is connected to something previously known (schema). Thematic units that integrate the subject areas are powerful instructional tools because by connecting the content across the curricular areas, students can develop their skills in each area while they are learning the content. Research also shows that the more exposure the brain has to new information in a variety of contexts, the more likely it is that the information will be retained. This is true not only for content, but also for language learning. For this reason, the instructional activities in this unit are designed to use the same repeated key vocabulary and concepts in a variety of contexts. Students will have repeated exposure to increase their learning opportunities.
Developmentally, kindergartners need a fast pacing of teaching and activities, as well as engagement of the senses as much as possible. Demonstrations are hands-on so that students can develop understanding at a concrete level before being expected to think abstractly. Visuals and "realia" (actual objects*) will be utilized whenever possible to allow students greater access to the content. A field trip to Yale will be also be employed so students can have first-hand knowledge, visual, and tactile learning, and to create more opportunities for student engagement in the content. Where visual aides are not enough, graphic organizers are used to help students organize information. Basically, every effort was made to ensure that all students have access to the curriculum and are able to learn, regardless of their mathematical, musical, or architectural previous abilities and predispositions.
* "Realia" is a term describing actual objects brought into the classroom for educational purposes. G.L.A.D. (guided language acquisition and development)-related research shows that student are able to make connections and strengthen learning by seeing, touching, experiencing objects that relate to the curriculum.