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Tiered Lesson (Differentiated by Readiness)

Name & Student Number: Sophie Porcelli 2106918Lesson Topic: Australian Celebrations and Commemorations Curriculum Area: HistoryYear Level: 3

Brief description (2-4 sentences) of the broader unit into which this lesson fits, and where it fits into that unit:

This lesson has been adapted from the history curriculum area of the Australia curriculum and is intended for year 3s. The lesson has been planned for children in a mainstream class, however with consideration to their differences in readiness.The lesson fits into a broader unit, which involves the exploration of ‘Celebrations and Commemorations’ that are important to Australian History. The first lesson of the unit will include students discussing and brainstorming Australian celebrations/commemorations that they are aware of and the meanings of relevant words. Once students have gained an initial understanding and prior knowledge of types of celebrations/commemorations and the meanings of words, they will begin this lesson. This lesson fits at the beginning of the unit because students are still exploring significant Australian events and important information about them. In this lesson students will explore Australia Day. In subsequent lessons in the unit, further investigating of more celebrations/commemorations will take place, followed by studying them in a broader context such as differences and similarities of Australian events, the significant events in other countries and different viewpoints/perspectives. The overarching big idea of the unit will focus on the importance of keeping significant Australian events from the past alive. All students in the class will not be at the same ‘readiness’ level and so the teacher will differentiate the lesson by tiering tasks to suit how ready students are, but still providing an appropriate challenge.

Learning Objectives*. As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will:

Understand that (Concepts, principles, “big ideas”)

Australia Day is acknowledged by many people living in Australia and diverse people/groups may have varying viewpoints about the significance of this day.

There are meanings, origins and symbols associated with Australia Day.

Know (e.g. facts, vocabulary, dates, information) The difference between the word

‘celebration’ and ‘commemoration’.

The customs, significance, symbols, origins and dates associated with Australia Day.

That there are varying viewpoints and ways that different people acknowledge Australia Day.

Be able to (do) (Skills, processes) Locate relevant information from sources

provided about Australia Day (Adapted from the Australian Curriculum- ACHHS068)

Identify different points of view people have about Australia Day, such as how it is acknowledged as well as the origin and importance for particular people/groups.

EDUC4721_2014_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACHHS068

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACHHS068


Display their knowledge in a postcard, using key historical information of Australia Day such as background/origins, dates, people, places, events, symbols and viewpoints.

Essential Questions

Why should we acknowledge events that happened years ago?

What are some of the significant events from the past that your family celebrates/commemorates?

Why doesn’t everybody living in Australia acknowledge Australia Day?

Lesson Title: Australia Day

Pre-assessment of Students’ Readiness(Describe and refer to appendices where necessary)

In the previous lesson, students were introduced to the theme of Australian Celebrations and Commemorations. A whole class introductory discussion took place on the meaning of the words ‘commemoration’ and ‘celebration’ and special days in Australia were brainstormed. Students formed small groups, were given poster paper with the heading of two of the celebrations brainstormed. The groups then wrote down everything they knew about this celebration. The groups rotated to each poster and added different information. At the end of the lesson, groups shared the posters to the class. The lesson concluded with students filling in an exit sheet to consolidate learning and check what they knew/had learnt (see appendix A, 1.0). From the pre-assessment students will be allocated into two different groups:

Group A: Students who knew the difference between the meanings of the 2 words learnt in class (celebrate and commemorate). Could identify the event Australia Day and list 1-2 key elements.

Group B: Students who knew the meaning of 1 or none of the words learnt in class. Could not identify the event, Australia Day and no key elements.

Students were also given a homework pre-assessment card (see appendix A, 1.1) to take home and explore if their parents acknowledged the event Australia Day and how. This information would help identify what prior knowledge or experiences children have been involved in regarding Australia Day.

Lesson PlanLesson SequenceThis lesson will go over a double lesson (total 60 minutes).Lesson 1 (30 minutes):

Introduction: (10 minutes)Whole class introduction with students sitting in a sharing circle on the floor.

Teacher asks students to have their homework task as they sit on the floor.

Explanatory notesThe purpose of the whole class introduction is to allow students the opportunity to activate their background knowledge and recap their understanding of the topic, preparing them to move on to an independent task.The warm up activity where students shared how their family acknowledges Australia Day, allowed students to begin thinking about Australia Day before further exploring it in the lesson. It also allowed students to probe their thinking towards differences and



Go around the circle, asking students to briefly share what they found out about Australia Day and if their family acknowledges it and in what ways.

Briefly introduce the next activity.

Tiered ActivityThe tiered activity is introduced to the students as a whole group. The students will be divided into two groups and given the tiered task sheets:1.2- Australia Day reading material (A)1.3- Australia Day reading material (B)1.4- Australia Day recording sheet (A)1.5- Australia Day recording sheet (B)(See appendix B. Note: the task sheets will not state groups A or B on the copy given to the students).

The task instruction will be given to students as a whole class and then they will work individually at their desks. The teacher progresses around the classroom providing support as required.

Kangaroos (Group A):

15minutes Students will read the ‘Group A reading

material’ sheet about Australia Day (see appendix B, 1.2).

They will be encouraged to highlight and record any relevant information they come across on the ‘Group A recording sheet’ (see appendix B, 1.4)

5 minutes Students will talk to a partner from the

Kangaroo group about the new things they have learnt about Australia Day.

Emus (Group B):15minutes

Students will read the ‘Group B reading material’ sheet about Australia Day; this information is slightly condensed as these

similarities between viewpoints and ways of acknowledging celebrations/commemorations.

The teacher will be able to provide instructions to the group for the tiered activity that will be completed individually. This task is ‘tiered’ to attend to the different readiness levels of students in the class, in conjunction with the lesson objectives. It is important that a task matches students readiness and also provides an appropriate level of challenges to extend student’s knowledge, understanding and skills, a bit beyond what they can do independently (Tomlinson, 2001).The reason the groups were named Kangaroos and Emus instead of group A and B, is so tiered grouping is not implied to the students in terms of ‘ability’ levels. As a result of the pre-assessment (see appendix A) completed in the previous lesson, students allocated into one of the two groups to complete tiered activities. The two tiered activities will resemble the same task with slightly different versions, differing in complexity. By the end of the lesson, students will have the same finished product (postcard), achieved the same lesson outcomes and would not have felt separated due to their level of readiness.

The students in the Kangaroos group (group A) have the highest readiness level, and will have the opportunity for more independence in the task and extending their existing knowledge on Australia Day. This groups reading material was more informational or ‘transformational’ (Tomlinson, 2001), aiming to stretch their prior knowledge, including more dates and historical terms. Their recording sheet, allowed them to have more independence and choice about what they deemed to be relevant information from the reading material. According to Tomlinson (2001) structuring independence may include students making choices from teacher-generated options, branching out and being creative. Comparably, the postcard making task was presented in an open-ended way to the Kangaroo group. Although they had a checklist detailing important information to include, they had the option to also include their knowledge in an additional form to send with the postcard. This included teacher-generated options or examples in their instructions regarding how they could present additional information (timeline, interesting facts/figures, etc). This allowed them to make decisions and have choices.

The students who were not as ready were in the Emu group (group B) as they did not have as much prior knowledge on Australia day. As Australia Day was



students are only beginning to learn about elements of Australia Day (see appendix B, 1.3).

They will be encouraged to highlight and record any relevant information they come across on the ‘Group B recording sheet’ (see appendix B, 1.5). This sheet provides prompts of what to look for in the reading.

5 minutes Students will talk to a partner from the

Emu group about the new things they have learnt about Australia Day.

Lesson 2 (30 minutes):5 minutes:

Introduce task to whole group. Divide into the same groups as lesson 1 and distribute the sheets:

1.6- A Postcard about Australia Day instructions1.7- 1.9- Postcard template (options 1-3)2.0- Postage stamps2.-1 Phonebook Addresses2.4- Student Checklist

Kangaroos (Group A)20 minutes

Students will read the instructions and begin writing a postcard to an overseas friend (see appendix B, 1.6). They may use the phonebook page to find a friend to write to (see appendix B, 2.1) Students should refer to their checklist for information to include (see appendix C, 2.2).

Students’ instructions have less guidance and more opportunity for choice in presenting information. (see appendix B, 1.6)

Students will use correct historical information to describe Australia Day, including dates, history, importance, celebrations, people and symbols associated with Australia Day.

Students may choose to include additional information to send with their postcard about Australia Day (in a preferred way, e.g. timeline to go with postcard).

They will use the reading material provided and their notes (previous lesson) to summarise their understanding of the importance of Australia Day.

new to this group, the reading material provided was ‘foundational’ (Tomlinson, 2001), where the information was written clearly, with headings and plainly worded. According to Tomlinson (2001) students who are not as ready may require the tasks to be more structured, where they do not have to make too many decisions. Similarly, the recording sheet for the Emu group provided prompts of what to look for in the reading material to record as relevant information. Additionally, the postcard instructions were well laid out for them, with explicit examples of what to include under specific headings/areas. Furthermore, their checklist was also detailed, providing more comprehensive criteria of what is important information to include.

Overall, the tiered tasks represent two subtle versions of complexity. They are not noticeable variations, so students do not feel they are segregated by their readiness level.

According to Hattie (2012) it is important to be specific and clear with feedback messages. The messages stressed through feedback in this lesson include:

Record information you find important- do not copy the whole sheet onto the recording sheet. Perhaps use a highlighter or underline the relevant information in the reading material as you read it.

Make sure to paraphrase, when writing in the postcard; do not copy the reading material word for word. Summarise it into own words.

Refer to your criteria checklist when writing important information in your postcard.

Resources: What do you know about Australia Day?: pre-

assessment My family: Pre-assessment sheet Reading Material about Australia Day

(Tiered) Recording Sheet (Tiered) Postcard Instructions (Tiered) Postcard template (x3) Postage stamps Phonebook Addresses Evaluation Checklist (students and teacher) Class observation checklist for understanding Self-reflective exit card

Students will need: Sharp pencil



Students will select the postcard they want to use as well as the postage stamp.

Emus (Group B)20 minutes

Students will read the instructions and begin writing a postcard to an overseas friend (see appendix B, 1.6). They may use the phonebook page to find a friend to write to (see appendix B, 2.1). Students should refer to their checklist for information to include (see appendix C, 2.2).

Student’s instructions and checklist has more hints and guidance, to give them ideas or examples of what to write to their friend.

Students will use correct historical information to describe Australia Day, including dates, history, importance, celebrations, people and symbols associated with Australia Day.

They will use the reading material provided and their notes (previous lesson) to summarise their understanding of the importance of Australia Day.

Students will select the postcard they want to use as well as the postage stamp.

Glue stick Scissors

Lesson Closure/ Check for UnderstandingConclusion: (at the end of the second lesson)5 minutes

At the end of the lesson, give students an exit card (see appendix C, 2.3) so they can reflect on their own learning. This can also be used as ongoing assessment, where the students’ feedback can be used to identify what parts of the lesson students found too easy/hard and how each student believe they performed. Depending on student’s feedback, this can be followed up later. When following up this feedback, further justifications of certain unclear parts of the lesson can be provided to students that require additional learning.

The evaluation checklist for understanding can be used through direct observations throughout discussions and work time to check students understanding (see appendix C, 2.4).

Collect the completed postcards and recording worksheets from the lesson and use the same evaluation checklist given to the students, to check students’ understanding for key understandings on Australia Day (see appendix 2.2).

After these checklists have been completed, it will be evident which students have shown a good understanding of the content learnt in the lesson. Further clarification can be provided to students who showed confusion or misunderstanding in areas.

Checklist of assignment components: Complete, step-by-step lesson description, with notes explaining how the lesson represents an example of a tiered lesson to address various readiness levels



Supplementary materials (e.g., copies of directions, handouts, etc. provided to students)Copy and/or description of preassessment task used to assign individual students to appropriate “tiers”Evaluation/ assessment criteria (e.g., rubric or checklist used to guide evaluation of student work)

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n.d.). The Australian Curriculum. v6.0. History Foundation to Year 10. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10

Hattie, J. (2012). Flow of the lesson: the place of feedback, in J. Hattie, Visible learning for teachers: maximizing impact on learning (pp. 115-137). London; Routledge.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). The ‘How To’s of planning lessons differentiated by readiness. In C. A. Tomlinson, How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classrooms (2nd ed., pp. 45-51). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.


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