2. Ask children to work with a partner to stimulate some starter ideas before sharing them with the whole class.

Transcription

1 Activity 3 Ordering and Prioritising Illustrated by Florence Nightingale s shopping list Children are often asked to list ideas and suggestions as part of their normal classroom activities. This makes a successful Thinking Together lesson if you ask children to talk together to create a list, then prioritise the list by agreeing on which are the three most important ideas. In order to reach agreement children will be seeking clarification, giving explanations and considering alternatives. As the Activity is open-ended it gives children an opportunity to justify and evaluate their choices, negotiate outcomes and to understand that there are not necessarily right or wrong answers but that different circumstances may affect priorities. It enables children to think about the criteria for their choice and, by giving reasons, to justify and evaluate their choices. It develops an understanding that different circumstances can affect priorities. This Activity can be used at any point in a lesson. It is equally successful as an independent lesson or as part of a study unit. In the exemplar lesson it is part of a historical study unit on the life of Florence Nightingale. Method 1. Identify an appropriate context for children to make and explain a list of suggestions (for example, when planning a list of materials that might be needed for an activity, items of food for a party) that can be supported by reasons. 2. Ask children to work with a partner to stimulate some starter ideas before sharing them with the whole class. Teacher tip for sharing reasons: as the children share their ideas, rehearse the phrases that will help them ask each other for reasons, and to evaluate them in their group work. For example: Has anybody else got a similar idea? Which item do you think is most important? Who else agrees with that? 3. Record the children s suggestions as they are given before asking the class to sort them in order of importance. Finally, ask them to choose two or three which they think are the most important. It is important that the children give Thinking Together: Teaching activities to promote talking and thinking 1

2 reasons for their ideas, so that they can persuade each other, in order to reach agreement. 4. In the closing plenary ask the children to identify similarities and differences between their lists after they have shared their ideas with the class. Why did they prioritise in this way? Thinking Together Skills Sharing ideas Giving reasons Listening Reaching agreement Curriculum Context Planning a practical activity (Art, DT, PE) History, Geography, other curriculum areas where choices are made and priorities needed. Children learn: that there are no wrong answers in this Activity to choose appropriate reasons to support their ideas to listen to others, to give and evaluate reasons to reach agreement to prioritise suggestions or ideas. Resources Whole class activity: stimulus material, marker pen, paper or board, category titles on display, blutak. Group activity: Each group will need an simple recording sheet and a pencil (see exemplar lesson for example of record sheet). Teacher tip. Giving each group of children only one sheet of paper and pencil to record their decisions will encourage them to reach an agreement. Asking them to use words such as but and then what about? will help them share ideas. Thinking Together: Teaching activities to promote talking and thinking 2

3 Variations. Children could be given some prepared words, pictures, ideas on cards etc and asked to select the ones they consider the most important for a given purpose. You could ask the children to choose their own objects, (or use a given list), and sort into categories before listing the categories in order of importance. The children could then select the items they think are the most important (give them a number to select). Key points Ensure that the context concerning the items that the children are asked to choose will support the giving of reasons for their choice, and not just preferences. Ask groups to think about the reasons carefully and use them to reach a joint decision. Model the ground rules throughout the lesson and ask the children to evaluate the rules in the closing session. Thinking Together: Teaching activities to promote talking and thinking 3

4 Lesson Plan 3 Florence Nightingale s shopping list Illustrates Ordering and Prioritising activity Curriculum links History Programme of Study 2 Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past. The materials are designed to further understanding of 3 Historical interpretation, and 4 Historical enquiry. Thinking Together Objectives We are sharing information and ideas by agreeing a list of items We are learning to give reasons for our ideas. Curriculum Learning Objectives We are learning about the conditions in Florence Nightingale s hospital. We are learning what the nurses and soldiers would have needed in this war hospital. We are trying to reach a group decision. Success Criteria. We agreed on what Florence, the nurses and the soldiers would have needed. We gave our reasons and discussed them. We agreed on the most important items they should ask for. Resources A brightly covered box (referred to as a Talk Box) to put objects in In the Talk Box 4 or 5 examples of items that Florence would have needed in the hospital. Include at least one item from each category indicated on Resources 2 (e.g. a scrubbing brush for hospital cleanliness, bandages for wounds, writing paper for recreation and convalescent needs). Whole class work Large pictures of the war hospital before and after Florence s changes, and of a wounded soldier. (As these will be looked at by the whole class OHTs would be ideal). Paper and marker pen for recording ideas for use in group work. Category headings (see Resource sheet 2). Group work One recording sheet (Resources 1) and pencil for each group. Pictures of the hospital before and after if required. (available in standard published school texts or the internet). The lesson 1 Introductory Classwork Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking 4

5 Introductory activity As the children take the objects from the Talk Box, ask them why they think it would have been useful in the hospital, and which category it should go into. (see Res 2). Show the children the picture of the hospital before Florence arrived. Ask the children to work with the person sitting next to them to talk about the kind of changes they think should be made before sharing their ideas with the class. What equipment would Florence have needed to make these changes? What might she have thought was most important? Why? Repeat the process with the picture of a wounded soldier. What sort of care and treatment would the soldiers have needed? What equipment would the nurses have needed to look after them? When the children have made their suggestions, show the after picture of the hospital. Ask them to share their ideas about the changes they can see. Do their ideas match with the changes that Florence made? Model the ground rules in your own talk by asking for reasons and explanations, listening and practising inclusion. Introducing the group activity. Display the heading cards (Resource sheet 2) with space underneath for suggestions. As the children suggest them, write or draw them under the relevant heading. When you ve got three or four in one category, ask the children to briefly discuss with the person sitting next to them which they would choose if they only had enough money for one. Remind them to give reasons to explain their choice. Then ask the class to share and discuss their ideas. Show the children the recording sheet, explain how it should be completed. Rehearse with the children appropriate phrases for giving and asking for reasons, inclusion and persuasion and use of cue cards (if used). Share the learning objectives for Talk and History and the success criteria. 2 Group Work Ask the children to talk together about what to put under each heading, and when they have agreed to write or draw the group s ideas. Now ask them to prioritise their lists. Remind them of how to persuade and give reasons. Set targets for the group (if you ask for 5 suggestions, ask for a short list of 3, if 3 suggestions, ask them to choose 1, etc.). Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking 5

6 Variations: The number of categories can be reduced or enlarged. Plenary Whole Class Work 2 Share the outcomes of the group work. Thinking Together Rules Did our Rules help us in our group work? Should they be altered? Success Criteria Have we achieved the success criteria? Have the Learning Objectives been met? Extension activities and Individual work The ideas generated in this activity could be used in a subsequent Literacy activity, where the children are asked to write a caption for the after picture and/or write their ideas about what the people might be saying on a speech bubble. More able children might write a letter home from one of the soldiers. Key points Guide the children towards grouping their ideas under the suggested headings in the whole class sessions. Discuss what kind of reasons might persuade others in their group. Model the Thinking Together Rules by asking for reasons, and explanations: why do you think that? can you explain why.? Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking 6

7 Ordering and Prioritising lesson Recording sheet Florence Nightingale s shopping list What we need to make the hospital better. What we need to help the soldiers get well. What the solders need when they are getting better. Group name Number the items your group thinks are most important the Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking 7

8 Ordering and Prioritising lesson Resources sheet 2 group headings What we need to make the hospital better. What we need to help the soldiers get well What the soldiers need when they are getting better. Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking 8