SMART Goal # 1 – By June 2009, HPEDSB students will independently use the skill of making meaningful connections between information and ideas in a reading selection and the reader’s personal knowledge and experience to construct meaning. SMART Goal # 2 – By June 30, 2009 HPEDSB boys will independently produce non-fiction writing for an intended purpose and audience. Writing is... ‘Thinking through the end of a pen’ How are SMART Goals 1 and 2 connected? Together how do they support student learning and achievement at higher levels?

Eric’s Reflection “I just finished this amazing multi week plan that used the social studies curriculum to drive the language expectations and elicited higher levels of thinking from the students because of the intentional questions I was asking. It set up the reading – writing connection beautifully and the students did exactly what I asked of them, but I was disappointed with the results. Why?...because I had asked them to create a report as the text form to demonstrate in writing what they knew about the content. They were asked to choose a European explorer and write a report outlining what they did etc. They were able to apply what they knew about reports and used all the elements of a report that we had discussed...but the content didn’t reflect the high levels of thinking the students were engaged in as they explored the issues related to First Nation Peoples and European Explorers. It was just a regurgitation of facts.” What was missing? An inquiry question related to the written assignment that would allow them to think deeply about and then ‘report’ on an important issue. Example: ‘How do you think the arrival of the European explorers impacted the First Nations peoples?’.

Integrated Teaching and Learning Through Inquiry Why a focus on inquiry? When do students engage with their learning and why?

How do we create a culture of inquiry in our classrooms and in our teaching? How do we cluster expectations for inquiry and to make the intentional reading / writing connections? What are the common elements across all the curriculum areas that will ensure they support each other and not be viewed / taught as separate entities? Why? Establishes a clear purpose Engagement Why ? Meaningful integration and application Gradual release of responsibility Higher order thinking Critical questions Metacognition Integrated Teaching and Learning Through Inquiry

History and Geography 7: New France 8: Patterns in Human Geography What do you think impacts a person’s decision to settle where they do? Reading for Meaning 1.4 Demonstrating Understanding (summarizing) 1.7 Analyzing Text 1.9 Point of View Text Form Report (comparison with critical question in mind) Writing Ideas Organization Reading / Writing Connection Choose texts that are in a comparative report format as mentor texts that involve the history/geography content. Develop guiding questions related to analysis and point of view to explore during the reading weeks.

What do you think impacts a person’s decision to settle where they do? History and Geography 7: New France 8: Patterns in Human Geography DO SAY WRITE Round Table Discussion Point of View – Grade 7 Question : Who has the better lifestyle? Grade 8 Question : How will you determine who receives the aid? Comparative Report Related to the inquiry question: Grade 7: How does my life compare to life in New France? Grade 8: How does my life in Canada compare to life in ___________? Media Through a media text form, address an issue relevant to: Grade 7 – New France Grade 8 – developing country (from report) Choice of forms: Magazine ad. Brochure Storyboard Public service announcement

Math: Data Management and Probability Display data using charts and graphs. (Overall 1) Make and evaluate convincing arguments, based on the analysis of data. (Overall 2) How can you use data to influence someone to agree with your perspective? C reate graphs to compare factors affecting quality of life. How would you create intervals for a graph to give a misleading impression of population trends? How would you represent data to give a misleading impression of living conditions in New France? Examine the relationships between the sets of data collected in your research to draw conclusions. Use your analysis of the data to support or oppose issues identified for round table discussion.