CURRICULUM COMPACTING A STRATEGY FOR RESPONSIVE TEACHING Material

CURRICULUM COMPACTING A STRATEGY FOR “RESPONSIVE TEACHING” Material drawn from It’s About Time by Alane J. Starko, copyright 1986 Reproduced with permission from Creative Learning Press, Inc. , P. O. Box 320, Mansfield Center, CT 06250

Differentiating in Mixed. Ability Classrooms “Teaching should respond to what we know about the learner(s). ”

Student Behaviors Which May Suggest That Compacting is Necessary • Consistently finishes tasks early • Work is usually well done and correct • Seems to have some advanced familiarity with the material • Expresses interest in pursuing alternate or advanced topics • Consistent high performance or motivation • Creates own puzzles, games, or other diversions in class

Curriculum Compacting 1) What’s important? 2) What can be skipped or eliminated? 3) What do students already know or are able to do? 4) What will they grasp easily? 5) What can be accomplished quickly?

It’s Abo u Tim t e

It’s about S T R E A M L I N G curriculum

“This is Boring!” Boring A “I already know that; could you give me an opportunity to show you? ” Boring B “At the present time I do not know enough about the topic to be interested in it. ”

Two Kinds of Curriculum Compacting Basic Skills Compacting Spelling, Math Computation, Language Arts Basic Skills Pretesting is easily used to document mastery. Content Compacting Social Studies, Science, Literature, Math Applications, and Problem-Solving Students may already know some material or may be able to read advanced material or master objectives more quickly.

MOST DIFFICULT FIRST

GOALS OF COMPACTING • Create a challenging learning environment • Guarantee proficiency in/mastery of basic curriculum • Buy time for enrichment and acceleration

Student’s Name: ________________ Areas of Strength Documenting Mastery Alternate Activities

Student’s Name: Annette ________________ Areas of Strength Math ---Decimal Fractions Documenting Mastery Score of 85 percent or higher on the pretest Alternate Activities Will work with class on days they learn concepts she has not mastered Will work on alternate math enrichment activities on other days

Student’s Name: Jose, Joanne, Sam, and Linda_______ Areas of Strength Documenting Mastery Social Studies--Colonial Living Unit Students will read chapters 5 & 6 in text at own pace High Interest Strong Readers---- Will read and pick up concepts quickly Do chapter exercises 3, 7, &9 Take unit test when ready Alternate Activities Students will select a topic of interest from a list of alternate activities related to an aspect of colonial living for an independent study

Student’s Name: ____William______________ Areas of Strength Map Skills Documenting Mastery Achieved an “A” on the pretest Alternate Activities Will read to gather research for his book about castles Will write book about castles INSTEAD of doing map activities

Phases of Curriculum Compacting Phase I - Establishing the goals and outcomes of the unit or segment of instruction Phase II - Identifying students who may be candidates for compacting Phase III - Identifying areas to be considered for compacting Phase IV - Establish procedures for compacting the basic material Phase V - Provide options for enrichment or acceleration

Progress through the education program at rates faster or at ages younger than conventional; providing instruction at a level and pace appropriate to a child’s achievement and readiness regardless of grade level. http: //www. nationdeceived. org

Giving students the opportunity to learn in greater depth and breadth. Enrichment may include but is not limited to: (1) Complexity of Content (2) Creative and Original Products (3) Self-selected Topics

Curriculum Compacting Replacement Activities Accelerate or Enrich Math http: //nrich. maths. org/public Reading http: //www. randomhouse. com/teachers/ http: //www. visuwords. com

Curriculum Compacting Replacement Activities Accelerate or Enrich Science http: //www. homeschooldiner. com/subjects/scienc e/enrichment_science. html Social Studies http: //www. csun. edu/~hcedu 013/plans. html Finding enrichment activities for gifted students http: //eric. hoagiesgifted. org/faq/gt-enric. html

Curriculum Areas to be Considered for Compacting Procedures for Compacting Basic Material Enrichment and/or Acceleration Activities