the planning department: Planning a Theme

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This is the second in a series of “the planning department” articles. The first article, which appeared in the Fall 2004 issue of CTM, is available at www.PacificEdgePublishing.com. Look under the Canadian Teacher Magazine link - Back Issues - Fall 2004, for a downloadable PDF file.

The school year is well underway. Basic classroom routines are well established. You are familiar with the capabilities of your students. You have also looked at the curriculum and grouped the Learning Outcomes from all the subject areas into themes. A planned sequence of instruction and an outline for the year is now in place. You know where you are headed. So, what’s next? The details.

I begin with literature. As a primary school teacher I am passionate about introducing Canadian literature to the children in my classes. Literature based themes are not only a highly effective teaching strategy, but they also engender interest and enthusiasm in both the students and the teacher. The tricky part is finding just the right resources and materials as well as the time needed to do the detailed planning. Developing some effective organization strategies will help to streamline the process.

HOW LONG DOES A THEME LAST?

Regardless of the topic and age group you work with, you need to allow enough time to develop the core ideas in depth. The children also have to acquire enough knowledge to complete detailed projects and to write with confidence. Naturally occuring interruptions such as holidays and special event days also have to be allowed for.

I usually teach in six to eight week blocks for a total of five themes a year.

HOW DO YOU START?

Don’t work alone. Find a colleague to plan with and set aside a few hours for the initial brainstorming and drafting session. Gather any literature that seems appropriate—books, magazines, anthologies, etc. Bring any resources you might have from your personal collection, the internet and the school library. Don’t forget to access your resource centre catalogue. (see Theme Strategies That Work, below)

Begin by reviewing the specific learning outcomes to be covered in your theme and brainstorm for teaching strategies and materials that will best suit these outcomes.

My friend Jane and I used to hold our planning session on a Saturday morning a few weeks before beginning a new theme. We found sharing the materials to be cost effective as well as saving on preparation time. As we were teaching at different schools, it was always interesting to debrief at the end of the theme. This was a time to share what had worked well, add to or delete from the initial plan, and enjoy a nice lunch!

HOW DO YOU USE THE PLANNING GRID?

Use a theme planning grid (see original article), or something similar that suits your specific needs. The categories listed in the first column will vary depending on the theme you’re planning. Draft your ideas in pencil so that you can move things around.

The sample week filled in on this grid is Week 3 from a Social Studies based theme called Oh, Canada! that Jane and I developed for Grade 3. When we developed this grid, we started by laying the Geography concepts from the Social Studies curriculum out in sequence across the eight weeks. Next we selected the Canadian symbols and animals that we wanted to highlight.

By matching them up with literature we were able to create weekly mini-themes around featured authors and stories. Each week, a Canadian author or illustrator became the focus of our activities.

How Do You Wrap It Up?

Bring the theme to a close by evaluating and celebrating. Brainstorming a list of activities and events that took place over the course of the theme is one way to have the children start to reflect on what they have just learned. They could record their thoughts in their journals or on an evaluation form of some kind. The children could choose samples of their work to take home to share with their families. The package could include a letter written by the student that highlights his/her accomplishments and thoughts about the theme. Parents or other classes could be invited to an open house or assembly to share in oral presentations, see completed projects and help to celebrate the end of the theme. Viewing a video (with popcorn, of course!) is a more low-key way to mark the end of a unit of study.

THEMATIC STRATEGIES THAT WORK

LETTER TO PARENTS
Sending a letter of introduction home to parents is a great way to involve them in a new theme.

THEME BOOKS
One way to organize all worksheets and assignments related to the theme is to designate a duo tang folder specifically for that purpose. Each theme’s duo tang could begin with a title page, and any pre/post test assignments could be stored at the end. (We do not keep separate Science or Social Studies notebooks—all theme items are kept together.)

WALL DISPLAYS
Start each new theme with blank bulletin boards. Gradually fill them with displays of student work that are relevant to the topic. At the end of the eight weeks, strip the room of all the project work. Send the art and craft projects, along with samples of written work, home for parent viewing and comment.

CLASS MUSEUM
Designate a space in the classroom where theme related objects can be displayed. The museum collection is made up of the objects brought to class by the children in the “News Clues” activity (see next column) and other theme related items from your collection or other sources. This is an opportunity for children to observe or handle interesting things like bird nests or sea shells and to teach respect for others’ belongings.

NEWS CLUES
This is a formalized sharing time in which the children bring theme related items to class throughout the year.

At the beginning of the year, give each child a 1/2 and 1/2 notebook with instructions and the criteria for the activity glued inside the front cover. The criteria are that the item somehow fits with the theme, is something from nature or is something made by the child. The children may bring any item of their choice on the week of their birthday and the week after Christmas.

Send the book home, each week, in a zip-lock bag. A note of explanation to the parents usually ensures a good response.
The children choose an item to bring from home with help from their parents.

As homework, they print three clues for the item in their notebooks and draw a picture of it in the empty space at the top. Answers to the clues could be printed at the bottom of the page.

Each child is assigned a particular day of the week. On his/her designated day the child brings the item and reads the clues to the class.

Three guesses are allowed and then the child shares the actual item.

When the discussion is complete, the item is displayed in the class museum until the end of the theme.

This is a great way to generate family involvement and knowledge of the theme at home as well as to create an interesting classroom display.

Brenda Boreham has been teaching in BC schools for over 25 years. She uses an integrated approach in her classroom and works collaboratively with her colleagues. Brenda has written several teaching resources and presents popular workshops at District Pro D days.