Bound for Success Scope and Sequence Statements

How to use Scope and Sequence StatementsHence, in order to plan a lesson or series of lessons, the following procedure should occur:1. Read the learning description and understand exactly what the learning is that is described; what is it that you wantthe student to know, understand and be able to do, as a result of what you do. (Note, beware of placing your owninterpretation on the description. It is important that you read the description in an holistic way – do not focus onindividual words or content that is familiar to you at the expense of the processes in the description. If unsure consulta colleague or group of colleagues).2. Make some decisions about what you will need to teach/present in order that the student demonstrates their learningas indicated in the learning description. (You will need to ensure that students have learned what is described in thescaffolding for previous years that precedes the description. If not, you may need to revisit these). There may be anumber of different things you might need to teach as parts of the description before addressing the description in anholistic way. This will ensure the learning is scaffolded.3. Consider how you might teach and present the content and processes. Remember that students in your class willhave a variety of different learning styles so you will need to use a range of pedagogical strategies in order tomaximise the learning opportunities for each student. You might teach through an activity, use some explicit didacticteaching, support students to do some investigatory research, and/or use a combination of these and otherapproaches.4. Consider how you might decide whether your students know, understand and can do what is presented in thelearning description. In other words, if this is a description of the learning that you require, how will you give yourstudents the opportunity to demonstrate this learning? This might be described as ‘assessing the learning’ or‘gathering evidence of learning’. If students are unable to demonstrate the learning you require as indicated in thelearning description, you will need to plan for and provide further opportunities for the learning to occur.1. What do I wantmy students toknow, do andunderstand?2. What will Ineed to teach/present for themto demonstratethis learning?4. How will I assess tofind out whether theyhave learned it or not?3. How will I teach tomaximise theopportunities for allstudents to learn what Iwant them to learn?These complex decisions must be made by every classroom teacher as part of the planning process for every lesson andgroup of lessons. The process focuses on the desired student learning, not on the teaching. It is this complexity, based onan assumption that the classroom teacher is the person best-placed to know each student that they teach (that is, whatthey know, understand and can do as well as their preferred learning styles) that sets teachers apart from parents andmakes them professionals.Planning using the Scope and Sequence Statements must also occur in phases at school level. This means that theteachers of Prep, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 must plan together to ensure that all students will be able to know,understand and do what is described in the Year 3 descriptions by the end of Year 3. Similarly, the Year 3, Year 4 andYear 5 teachers will plan together, the Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 teachers will plan together, and the Year 7, Year 8,Year 9 and Year 10 teachers will plan together. This will ensure for example, that achievement of what is described in theYear 3 descriptions by students in Year 3 is not the sole responsibility of the Year 3 teacher, and similarly for the Years5, 7, and 9 teachers. Of course, if you are teaching a multi-age group of students you will not need to do this unless thereare other teachers teaching students in similar year groups in the school. In this case it would be appropriate to plan withteachers from other schools where possible, to ensure comparability of the curriculum.Planning with teachers of the same level in large schools is also encouraged in order to ensure shared understanding ofthe learning descriptions (the intended curriculum).These processes will maximise student access to a rigorous curriculum and facilitate continuity and ‘seamlessness’ forevery student between and across schools. They will also facilitate sharing of ideas and resources relating to teachingand assessment.KLA and cross-curriculum opportunitiesEvery learning experience in every KLA is an opportunity for developing the literacy skills for all students. All teachersare responsible for maximising the literacy achievement of all their students by capitalising on these opportunities.There are also many links between the KLAs that provide opportunities for enhancing the learning of one KLA throughanother. For example, both the Technology KLA and the Science KLA have a strand about Materials. Whilst the focusof each strand is different there is no reason why students learning about designing and making an artefact in aTechnology class should not also be working towards developing deep understandings required about materials aspresented in the Science KLA. Teachers should maximise these links and opportunities wherever possible. To this end,some of these opportunities have been highlighted throughout the Scope and Sequence Statements using the followingcodes:N numeracy/mathematicsSc ScienceICT Interactive Communications TechnologiesHPE Health and Physical EducationT TechnologySS Studies of Society and EnvironmentA The ArtsIn conclusionThe approach embodied in the Scope and Sequence Statements, the learning descriptions and the model for their use inplanning, focuses on deep learning by students of what is essential rather than superficial coverage of facts and skills inorder to ‘get through the course’. It relies on teachers deeply understanding what it is that they want their students tolearn (the intended curriculum) and subsequently setting up multiple opportunities and environments to maximise thatlearning for every student in their class.Dr Thelma PersoDirector CurriculumEducation QueenslandDecember 2006Bound for Success Scope and Sequence Statements V2 Page 2 Working Document Semester One 2007