E NRICHMENT C LUSTERS Spring 2011 Barrow Elementary

F ACILITATOR D ATA Common Issues: Clearer Expectations Product Development Cluster Planning Time Age Differences Student Choice in Cluster Prep Time for Enrichment Fair More Student-Led Time Management

W HAT W ENT W ELL ? Student-suggested rituals to start the cluster session each week Practicing the 5 Be’s Spending time at the beginning for team building and letting the students get to know each other Mixed Grade Levels Having a co-facilitator Letting the students (and not the standards) lead the learning Lack of formal assessment New topics that are not normally taught in school

S TUDENT D ATA Grades K-2 I enjoyed my cluster… 2.77/3 I learned a lot in my cluster… 2.77/3 My cluster teacher was interesting… 2.73/3 I would like to do Enrichment Clusters again… 2.75/3 Grades 3-5 I enjoyed my cluster… 4.47/5 I learned a lot in my cluster… 4.25/5 My cluster teacher was interesting… 4.56/5 I would like to do Enrichment Clusters again… 4.45/5

S TUDENT D ATA Notable Comments: What did you enjoy most about clusters? “what I really enjoyed about the cluster is that you get to feel like that’s your job” “that you could learn other things than the regular math, science, ELA, etc.” “I liked that it was a change in our schedule every week. Because then, I would have something to look forward to on Wednesdays, the middle of the week.” “I enjoyed lots of things. I enjoyed being able to work with different people and learn lots of new things!” “seeing different teachers than usual” “Getting to do the hands on stuff”

S TUDENT D ATA Notable Comments: What did you learn from your cluster? “I learned about new people (my friends).” “to take a lot of risks and work with other people” “I learned I need to be open to more ideas. “ If you could have changed something or done something differently in your cluster, what would it be? “clusters could be longer and be everyday” “I just loved it. It was awesome!” “That it was fun, educational, and exciting.” “I met some different people I did not know and we all got along really well! I loved my enrichment cluster!”

N EW T OPIC I DEAS Look over the new cluster ideas from the students. Don’t forget about last semester’s ideas. Do you want to do a new topic or similar topic? What grade levels would do well with the topic? Worried about K-2 students? Think of things you have an interest in. You do not have to be an expert in the topic. Instead, pick something that you would like to spend time learning more about. School Goal- assortment of subject areas

W ALL C HARTS Language Arts, Literature, and the Humanities Physical and Life Sciences The Arts Social Sciences Mathematics Technology Physical Education Industrial Arts/Home Economics Once you have an idea for your cluster, write the topic on a post-it note and stick it on the corresponding wall chart. Remember to pick only one topic! This is a way for us to make sure we are selecting a variety of clusters that students might be interested in.

D EVELOPING Y OUR C LUSTER Think about the 6 Key Questions: What do people with an interest in this topic or area of study do? What products do they create and/or what services do they provide? What methods do they use to carry out their work? What resources and materials are needed to produce high-quality products and services? How and with whom do they communicate the results of their work? What steps need to be taken to have an impact on intended audiences? You do not have to try to answer these questions completely. You just want to keep them in mind as you develop your cluster.

S AME T OPIC ? If you want to do the same topic as last semester, please tell us why you want to stick with this topic (see “Developing Your Cluster” sheet) No matter what, each cluster needs to have a brand new name and PowerPoint advertisement We do not want students thinking they will do the same thing that last semester’s students did in that cluster.

D ATES TO R EMEMBER Wednesday, January 12 th - Katie your finished PowerPoint slide AND turn in “Developing Your Cluster” hand-out. Show cluster PowerPoint the week of January 17 th ; Turn in cluster student choice sheets by January 21 st Monday, February 7 th - Teachers to receive rosters for cluster and classroom; Professional Development Day Wednesday, February 9 th - First day of clusters for Spring 2011 Wednesday, April 20 th - Last cluster session for Spring 2011 (10 weeks) Wednesday, April 20 th - Clusters will be in the afternoon because of CRCT First week of May- Enrichment Cluster Fair

C LUSTER D ATES 10 weeks Wednesdays, 9-10 AM February 9 th February 16 th February 23 rd March 2 nd March 9 th March 23 rd March 30 th April 6 th April 13 th April 20 th (afternoon)