Layered Curriculum For teachers with more than one style of student in their classroom. 2016 Show-Me Professional Learning Conference Stacy Rusche, Ed.S. Clinton Middle School

How many “regular” students are in a typical classroom? 3 with IEPs 3 “unidentified” 1 with ADD 1 ELL 6 visual 4 auditory 2 read/write 10 kinesthetic

Key Concepts Voice and Choice Students want control. If you don’t offer control, they take control.

Key Concepts Novelty “If students know what to expect before coming to class, you have already lost them.” -Dr. John Penick

Key Concepts Accountability Students learning rather than just doing Students responsible for their own learning

Key Concepts Encourage Higher Level Thinking Bloom’s taxonomy Remember/Knowledge Understand/Comprehend Apply Analyze Evaluate/Synthesize Create

The of Layered Curriculum Layers Layer C -- Remember, Know, Comprehend, and Understand Basic content & vocabulary Layer B – Apply and Analyze Labs & projects Layer A – Evaluate, Synthesize, and Create Critical thinking & problem solving

Layer C – for Visual Learners Read the chapter and explain the illustrations Find a magazine article and highlight the key ideas Complete a concept map for the topic Watch video and do follow-up assignment Fill out a character chart Create a “Wanted!” poster for a character

Layer C—for Auditory Learners Listen to the book via youtube, Librivox, etc. Listen to a lecture. Watch/listen to a video. Debate concepts in small groups. Read a magazine article with a friend taking turns reading out loud. Layer C—for Auditory Learners

Layer C—for Readers and Writers Read the text and answer questions Write a chapter summary/diary entry Listen and take notes (use Cornell method to assist visual learners) Complete “guided reading” worksheets Read supplemental articles and write a report Write alternative endings or extra chapters

Layer C—for Kinesthetic Learners Complete a scavenger hunt through the chapter Read chapter and highlight key concepts. Play vocabulary/character charades with a friend Play chapter trivia games Create a game incorporating motion (search for language arts middle school energizers for a great pdf file!)

Layer B – Apply and Analyze Activities Labs Webquests Videos/vlogs/blogs Presentations/powerpoint/prezi Write test questions and provide an answer key

Layer A – Evaluate and Create Pose critical thinking questions Extensive projects Individualized Research Questions Interdisciplinary projects

So where do I start? Pick a unit to think about. Pull out all of your resources. Divide them up for C, B, & A layers. Look at meeting learning preferences and intelligences.

Visual/Spatial Intelligence It is the ability to perceive the visual. These learners tend to think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information. They enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies. Skills include: puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, interpreting visual images. Visual/Spatial Intelligence

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence It is the ability to use words and language. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and are generally elegant speakers. They think in words rather than pictures. Skills include: listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information, convincing someone of their point of view, analyzing language usage. Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence It is the ability to use reason, logic and numbers. These learners think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making connections between pieces of information. Always curious about the world around them, these learner ask lots of questions and like to do experiments. Skills include: problem solving, classifying and categorizing information, working with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of reason to make local progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and wondering about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations, working with geometric shapes

Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence It is the ability to control body movements and handle objects skillfully. These learners express themselves through movement. They have a good sense of balance and eye-hand co-ordination. (e.g. ball play, balancing beams). Through interacting with the space around them, they are able to remember and process information. Skills include: dancing, physical co-ordination, sports, hands on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, expressing emotions through the body Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence It is the ability to produce and appreciate music. These musically inclined learners think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They immediately respond to music either appreciating or criticizing what they hear. Many of these learners are extremely sensitive to environmental sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping taps). Skills include: singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering melodies, understanding the structure and rhythm of music Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

Interpersonal Intelligence It is the ability to relate and understand others. These learners try to see things from other people's point of view in order to understand how they think and feel. They often have an uncanny ability to sense feelings, intentions and motivations. They are great organizers, although they sometimes resort to manipulation. Generally they try to maintain peace in group settings and encourage co-operation. They use both verbal (e.g. speaking) and non-verbal language (e.g. eye contact, body language) to open communication channels with others. Skills include: seeing things from other perspectives (dual-perspective), listening, using empathy, understanding other people's moods and feelings, counseling, co-operating with groups, noticing people's moods, motivations and intentions, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict resolution, establishing positive relations with other people. Interpersonal Intelligence

Intrapersonal Intelligence It is the ability to self-reflect and be aware of one's inner state of being. These learners try to understand their inner feelings, dreams, relationships with others, and strengths and weaknesses. Skills include: Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating their thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their role in relationship to others Intrapersonal Intelligence

Sample C Level Assignments for Beowulf Create a set of flash cards of 10 vocabulary words from Beowulf and prepare for an oral vocabulary quiz. Create an artistic timeline of the era in which Beowulf was written. Create an epitaph for Beowulf or Grendel. Write a storybook version of Beowulf for a small child. Create a movie poster depicting a scene from Beowulf. Write an original poem or song about Beowulf's or Grendel's deeds. Construct a board game based on the epic poem. Construct a diorama of a scene in Beowulf. Create an ad campaign, complete with visual and auditory advertisements, promoting Beowulf as a monster slayer. In a group, perform a 5– to 10-minute skit of the epic poem (this may be done in front of the class or recorded on video). Create a 5– to 10-slide PowerPoint presentation about the history of England during the Anglo-Saxon era.

Sample B Level Assignments for Beowulf Write a one-page character analysis of Beowulf, Grendel, or Grendel's mother. Write an essay question on one of the themes found in Beowulf (good versus evil, Christianity influences, the effect of Paganism, and so forth) and answer in two to three paragraphs. Write a comparison/contrast essay on Christian and pagan symbols found in Beowulf.

Sample A Level Assignments for Beowulf Do you think Beowulf's deeds make him a good role model? By keeping Beowulf's memory alive in the poem, how does a culture keep its values alive? How might Beowulf's defeat of Grendel be described as the defeat of the "dark side" of Beowulf's life? How does the contrast between Beowulf and Grendel turn their conflict into a fight between good and evil? Examine some Christian and pagan beliefs. How do these beliefs influence the epic poem of Beowulf?

Resources www.help4teachers.com www.brains.org http://www.teachersworkshop.com/twshop/sousa.html http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp http://nerds.unl.edu/layered