Using an Anticipatory Planning Web for Ceiling Work

Gather together lists of required curriculum What are the desired -knowledge -skills -dispositions Select a possible topic to study applying the rules of worthwhile learning Develop a web of concepts that are inherent in the topic of study Where are opportunities for knowledge, skills, and dispositions to naturally occur in the study of this topic Generate a list of possible experiences Introduce topic and follow children's interests

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topic topic

Experiences xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

topic narrows narrows

Looking at the concepts and kn. sk. and dispositions. Add assessment - checklist, portfolio items.. Add IEP Goals for children with special needs

Provide experiences Teach on the fly Follow children's lead Integrate Provide additional experiences Culminate the experience Share assessment Topic Concepts about topic Curriculum goals IEP Goals Judy Harris Helm, Ed.D. Best Practices Inc. judyhelm@bestpracticesinc.net Website: bestpracticesinc.net

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Assess and Document

Creating an Anticipatory Planning Web

1. Select a worthwhile topic. Apply the rules of selection of topic.
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2. Make a teacher instructional web of concepts about that topic placing the topic in the center. For example for the topic of plants, concepts would include some plants grow from bulbs, bulbs come in different sizes (small, medium, large), bulbs store food. Plants need soil, water, sun to grow. Plants have parts, etc.

4. Look at the web you have created. Where the curriculum goals and the concepts come together plan authentic activities to build background knowledge about the topic. For example, an authentic use of numerals would be to find out the prices of seeds or the heights of plants or to record the number of rows of plants (as opposed to an unauthentic use of numerals such as teacher made construction paper tulips with numerals written on them to be matched by the child). Think of authentic activities by looking where the concepts come together with the curriculum goals. Make a list of these possible ideas. Experiences
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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5. Begin some activities to introduce the topic, if not initiated by the children, and build background knowledge. Then follow children's lead and narrow topic.

3. Examine the web and add in curriculum: knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are taught at your age/grade level = curriculum goalswhere they would naturally occur. For example the natural place where a child would encounter measuring concepts would be sizes of bulbs or heights of plants.

bulb plants

The topic narrows. Ex: Instead of plants the topic narrows to bulbs which replaces plants as the topic of the project and the center of the web.

6. Readjust techniques of instruction to match children's interest on this new narrower focus. Gather questions from the children. Investigate, represent, interview and visit sites. 7. For concepts not included in the project choose to introduce in another mode or choose to cover at another time with another topic or do direct instruction if important but not emerging. 8. Plan assessment and documentation.

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Judy Harris Helm, Ed.D. Best Practices Inc. judyhelm@bestpracticesinc.net Website: bestpracticesinc.net

9. Follow children's lead to culminate, morph into next topic, or begin a new topic.